Crimson Shards of Glass
by Mia Shade
Summary: ~COMPLETE~ Quite a serious fic, pairings 1XR, 2XH, 6X9 and 4XD. In a world where living is the order of the day, eight young people fight to survive while battling with their own emotions about life, death, fear and, most of all, each other.
1. Part I

Crimson Shards of Glass

By Yasashii Tsubasa

Disclaimer: Sunrise and Bandai own Gundam Wing. I do not own it. Fair enough? Good.

Part I

 It was raining again.

 Water pounded down on the streets, threatening to soak those who dared to walk there. The droplets were huge, and mixed with dirt, oil and chemicals that could prove dangerous to anything they touched. The hungry ground sucked up what it could of the rain, but the soil was too ruined for anything to grow there.

 A lone seventeen-year-old boy walked quickly beneath the slanted roofs that shaded the fronts of shops and the street from the rainwater. His face was completely hidden by a hooded raincoat and he walked steadily, never quickening nor slowing his pace. To any passer-by, he looked like one of them: one of the unfortunates, just another survivor of the human race's terrible mistake. However, to anyone who knew him, the lone boy was someone very special.

 Heero Yuy stopped in front of a ramshackle structure that used to be an apartment building, reaching for his key. Unlocking the door, he walked into the only suit of rooms there was left of the building: it was where he lived. The rooms were dimly lit and had a sense of age to them, but at least it was a standing structure.

Heero hung his raincoat in the closet, careful to place it in the isolated, glass-bound area that was reserved for weather gear. Removing his gloves and then his boots, he heard talking coming from another room and knew that everyone else was home.

" Heero?" a quiet voice sounded from the sitting room/living room. A young woman dressed in jeans and a heavy sweatshirt came into the hall, looking drowsy. Her golden hair was loose, falling to her mid-back softly. Blue eyes blinked sleepily as Heero wrapped her in a gentle embrace.

 " I'm back, Relena," He said just as quietly, releasing her. " I got some food, too."

 He pulled a small package out from an inner pocket of his hooded sweatshirt—a box of pasta, enough to feed all of them. Relena smiled gently.

 " Arigatou Gozaimasu." She whispered.

 " You're welcome, very much." Heero replied, twining an arm around Relena's waist. The two walked into the living room to find six other young people collapsed on beat-up, overstuffed couches and chairs that had once been fine furniture. They looked up when Heero and Relena entered, but only for a moment—they all were, like Relena, exhausted.

 Quatre looked at the package in Heero's hand.

 " Did you get food?" he asked, knowing that the question was on everyone's mind.

 " Hai. Whose turn to cook?"

 Duo stood up slowly, flicking his bangs from his eyes.

 " Mine. Is there enough clean water left for dinner?"

 Heero gave him the pasta and nodded.

 " Yes, there's probably enough. I'll go for more in the morning."

 The tiniest hint of a smile appeared on Relena's face as she rested her head on Heero's shoulder.

 " You do so much for us." She murmured.

 Heero kissed her hair gently.

 " I have to." He replied before sitting down in a chair opposite Zechs. Looking at the state of the furniture in the room, Heero found it a bit hard to believe that, nine months ago, they had all been living happily, in what they had believed was a world of peace…

 Hilde sighed, bringing Heero back to the present.

 " Was it hard to find, Heero?" she asked. 

 " Iie, not really. I help one of the old shopkeepers and he gives me food, when he can."

 Heero looked at each of his comrades slowly. Zechs, Hilde and Noin were talking quietly, Quatre was sifting through a deck of ancient-looking playing cards and Dorothy was immersed in one of the few books that they owned, one of the few books that still existed. Relena sat beside Heero, her head on his shoulder. The girl yawned.

 " Gomenasai, I'm not very good company." She whispered. Heero put his arm around her comfortingly.

 " Don't apologize. Everyone gets tired once in a while, even me."

 He felt Relena sigh and shift slightly.

 " Heero, d'you think—do you think we'll survive this?"

 " Hai, if we fight for it every day. That is what I believe. We are all in pretty good health and don't take stupid risks. We have each other, Relena."

 As the girl fell asleep against him, a small smile crept over Heero's face.

_ I will make sure that you are protected, Relena,_ he thought. _For if you were dead, then surely by now I would be, too._

A/N: I know, Heero is OOC, but to hell with it I can't remember what his character is like! Besides, a lot can change…read on.

Hilde got up and walked into the kitchen, where Duo was stirring something on the stove. It had taken them over a month to repair this place into something that could be lived in. The two-bedroom apartment had been almost completely destroyed when they had reached it, but by scavenging, buying and sometimes stealing the eight of them had fixed it so that they had somewhere to live. The were extremely lucky, because when the original building had been there the electricity and plumbing sources had been stored underground, and were run by solar power, so they hadn't taken unfixable damage. Heero and Zechs had managed to collect eight mattresses for them to sleep on, plus an assortment of couches and stuffed chairs that made up what they had in their sitting room. Other than some stolen clothes and some books, they had nothing else of worth but each other.

 " Hey," Hilde murmured and covered a yawn—because they had to board up all windows to keep the radiation out, they didn't get any sunlight in the apartment either. A combination of this and not having enough to eat most days made everyone get tired much faster. Duo nodded.

 " Hey. Lucky that Heero got food, isn't it?"

 " Hai," Hilde checked her digital watch, which was the only way they had of telling time—the powerful radiation clouds had blocked the sun out. " It's early…god, I still can't get used to being tired at six in the evening. In the old days, I used to go to bed at around ten."

 Duo nodded again and stirred the pasta.

 " A lot has changed, I agree. I just never imagined who would do such a thing, or that someone we know would have been so close to them at one point."

 Hilde smiled. The attack had been by White Fang rebels, but instead of ruling earth, as had been their original intention, they had destroyed it.

 " Why?" she wondered out loud. " Why did they do it?"

 Duo shrugged.

 " I honestly don't know. I didn't even know there were rebels, much less that they had the power and weapons that they did. It's scary," he said. " To think that one group of people could do so much damage in a single morning…"

 Hilde nodded, remembering that fateful day nine months ago that had changed their lives forever. It had been so sudden, and so unexpected, that Hilde had been certain that she was going to die…

* flashback*

 She curled up as tight as she could, wedged against a wall between two slabs of concrete. More hardened cement fell, burying her completely in rubble. 

 If this is death, let it be quick…she thought, watching as her vision of the sun was blocked by grey concrete that threatened to crush her.

The giant slabs of rock stopped moving and she found that they had formed a sort of prison of concrete around her, and if she didn't move or move the rocks she would be fine.

 Not knowing what else to do, she began to pray, with no reason at all—she had never actually believed in God. Her voice echoed through the alley, with nobody to answer back. She had no idea how long she was in her cement prison, but she was aware when the slabs began moving. She bit off a scream when she saw Duo, pulling the concrete off of her. When he reached her, he pulled her up into a tight hug, which she returned. They didn't let go of each other until a siren wailed, which was when they flew apart and began to run…

* end flashback*

 Duo's voice brought Hilde back from her memory.

 " I think this is almost done, will you get the bowls?" he asked her. Hilde nodded and gripped the eight bowls tightly as she took them from the single cupboard, her shaking hands threatening to drop what little dishes they had. Duo noticed this as she set the bowls on the counter and, without saying a word, wrapped Hilde in a tight and comforting hug. Her arms came up to return the embrace, but she still shook slightly from the memory of being trapped inside that cement prison.

 " Daijoubu, Hilde," Duo murmured. " It's all right. I promise you, if you ever need me, I'll be here…I promise."

 Hilde smiled through her tears and nodded as Duo released her. He put the cooked pasta into the bowls and indicated that Hilde set out forks, which she did. 

 " Dinner!" Duo called. As he picked up two bowls, one for Hilde and one for himself, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as the two walked back to the sitting room, Duo had to wonder if life would ever be the same for them again.


	2. Part II

Part II

A/N: Oh my god, 7 people reviewed! Here's part 2, and for those who were wondering what happened to Trowa, Wufei and Sally, all I can tell you now without spoiling the story is that they are not dead. Also, part 1 is edited and revised (just some minor stuff) so read from the beginning so to clear away any confusion.

 Dorothy looked at her digital watch and shut her book, sighing quietly as she finished her pasta. She had read the novel many times, as it had been a favourite of hers since childhood—the full Chronicles of Narnia in a single book. She had managed to save it and a few other books when she had been forced to escape, and they were her personal treasures.

 " Bored?" a quiet voice asked. Dorothy looked up to see Quatre, who was also just finishing his dinner. She shrugged.

 " I could probably read them blindfolded, if that's saying anything. I haven't really done anything else but read, steal, eat and sleep in the last nine months."

 The blond boy nodded.

 " I understand. It's hard to live with the barest of essentials after taking everything for granted your entire life."

 Dorothy looked at him oddly.

 " How did you survive, Quatre?" she asked, setting her bowl aside. Quatre shrugged.

 " I was alone on earth—the Magnacs were in the colonies. I had planned on taking a short vacation, alone, and perhaps organizing a reunion of the pilots. My house collapsed," he said, shuffling the cards and dealing a game of solitaire. " I couldn't save anything."

 " And all your instruments…your violin…" Dorothy murmured sympathetically.

 " …Gone. I went down to the underground passages that led to the mobile suit hanger, which was empty. The passages were collapsing, and the hanger itself was actually beginning to fall, so I hid in a cellar that was designed for earthquakes—it was deep into the ground and had ventilation shafts. I had no way of knowing what was happening or when it was over, but just as I emerged from the shelter Heero appeared and told me to run, so I did. And this is where I stopped running." He finished, indicating the apartment. He began his game of solitaire.

 " What were you running from?" Dorothy wanted to know. Quatre looked back up at her seriously.

 " Men with guns. They were out to slaughter anyone they hadn't already killed."

 " Arigatou, for telling me—it probably took a lot of courage," Dorothy said, sitting down beside Quatre and looking at his game. " And if you play that eight you leave a free space for the king, just to say."

 Quatre smiled and made the move she had indicated.

 " Thanks, I must have missed that. You didn't tell me how you got here, though. Zechs found you, did he not?"

 Dorothy looked away.

 " I don't want to talk about it."

 " Gomenasai, I probably shouldn't have asked."

 " Daijoubu, you didn't know. Did you know what was happening at the time?"

 Quatre shook his head as he turned over a card.

 " Iie, I had no clue. Not until I climbed out of the cellar and saw what had happened to my home did I know that the inevitable had happened. Then, when Heero and I came here, we hid until the soldiers ran past. We found Duo and Hilde in an alley—she had been buried by falling cement and could hardly stand—and met up with Noin while she was looking for you and Zechs. You two were easy," he said. " Noin knew he'd go back to their house, which was completely gone. And…you know what happens from then on." He finished, giving Dorothy the impression that he, too, no longer wished to discuss the subject. She sat back, thinking.

 _It's so like him to apologize…and yet he answered my questions, and he was perfectly fine about it. God…am I the only one who was impacted seriously by this attack? Even Quatre, the understanding one, seems to be unaffected by it…it still frightens me, and in truth I want to tell him. I want to, but I am afraid to do it…if I do, will I react as badly as I did the first time?_

Duo ate slowly, trying to relish every morsel of his food. He was thinking hard as he ate, watching Quatre and Dorothy in quiet conversation together. 

_ We're together now…all but two of us…god, I can't believe it's been nine months without hearing from either of them,_ he thought. _Wufei and Trowa…are they even still alive? Where are they? What are they doing? They weren't on earth when the attack came, that's for sure._

 Hilde rested her head on Duo's shoulder sleepily.

 " You're thinking of them." She murmured bluntly. Duo nodded.

 " Hai, I am. They are my friends, Hilde," he said. " I can't help but wonder if they're all right."

 The girl shivered and nestled closer, yawning.

 " I'm glad they're not here…too many people…so small a space…"

 Duo was surprised.

 " What do you mean?"

 Hilde's eyes went wide and she sat up quickly.

 " Oh, nothing, I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed, and maybe if the weather's better tomorrow I'll go for a walk. Yeah."

 As she kissed Duo quickly on the cheek and disappeared into one of the two bedrooms, Duo looked at Zechs, who had seen the whole thing.

 " That was odd," Zechs said bluntly. Duo nodded his agreement.

 " Hai, it was. She never mentioned anything about small spaces before this, you know. And her memories…flashbacks, really…she still wakes up crying, I hear it sometimes. She was completely buried by rubble, with almost no space. Hilde—she had been praying, and that's how I found her—following her voice—but by the time I reached the alley she was crying 'let me out, I'll be good' over and over again. Something made her scared, Zechs," he said. " Something about being there for so long, when the world was virtually coming to an end…god, I can't even imagine what it must have been like for her."

 The man nodded sympathetically.

 " Claustrophobia—the fear of small, enclosed spaces. I had it as a child, but I outgrew it when I began training," a yawn hit him, and he stood. " I'm also going to bed."

 Duo smiled.

 " 'Night, Zechs. Take my bowl, will you?" he asked, holding out the dish to Zechs, who nodded and took it to the kitchen. Relena had fallen asleep with her head on Heero's shoulder, and Dorothy was also putting her book away and going to girls' bedroom.

 _It's been so long…will we ever see them again?_

 Trowa opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the computer screen in front of him.

_ I couldn't have fallen asleep!_ He thought wearily as his watched beeped to midnight and the computer kept humming. _Stupid…stupid…that was very stupid…_

 " So, you're awake," a voice behind him said. " I was wondering when you'd snap out of it."

 Trowa spun around in his computer chair to see Wufei, who was standing with his arms crossed against the wall. His Preventers jacket was hung over another computer chair. Trowa shook his head to clear the last of his sleepiness away.

 " I can't believe I did that—results might have come up, and I may have missed them. These are the world's files, Wufei: it takes hours to find one person, let alone eight; if I missed it, who knows how long it'll be before it comes up again?"

 Wufei shook his head.

 " They didn't come up. I checked when I found you asleep, and have been checking for the last three hours. You should really go to bed." He said. Trowa looked shocked.

 " Iie, no way! Not until I find them! They are my friends, Wufei! I thought that they were your friends, too! I will not rest until each and every one of them have been found, and taken out of that god-forsaken place. Gomenasai if that bothers you, but you'll just have to either leave me alone or drag me to bed and tie me down!"

 Wufei grinned despite himself.

 " That can be arranged, you know. I've heard that the strongman of your sister's circus doesn't like you."

 Trowa stared at him.

 " You wouldn't."

 " Try me." Wufei replied, meeting Trowa's gaze with his own. This staring contest went on for the better part of five minutes before Trowa sighed.

 " Fine, fine, I'll go to bed. Good night."

 As Trowa walked out of the room, he heard Wufei speak.

 " And they are my friends, Trowa. My kouyuu with them was the best thing that happened to me."

 Trowa stopped and turned, smiling at his friend.

 " My friendship was the best thing, too. That's why we're going to find them."

 Wufei nodded.

 " Agreed, my friend; agreed."

A/N: if anyone's confused by the Japanese phrases, just say so, I think I've made it pretty clear. What did you think? I need reviews or I get writer's block! Anything but flames, please.


	3. Part III

Part III

A/N: Part 3! Part 3! I've gotten such good reviews that I just had to post this one…here's where things get interesting.

 Relena rose early the next morning, blinking sleep from her eyes as she dressed and made her bed.

 _Funny,_ she thought as she pulled on a green sweatshirt. _The servants used to do all this work for me, and all my life I took it for granted. Funny how, once they are dead, I am doing the work they once did for me…_

 Shaking her head and grinning, Relena opened the closet and pulled out her raincoat, just in case it was still raining. Putting it on, she locked the door behind her and set out. She had wanted to go for a walk for quite a bit, but Heero had refused to let anyone out of the house while it rained so hard.

He does too much for us, my Heero. He works so hard, every day, and yet he still seems to be able to keep going, day after day. I wonder…what is it that forces him to go outside, every day, to search for food and other items? What makes him come back?

 Relena looked outside cautiously and saw that it had indeed stopped raining, and people were walking the streets once again. Relena set off for the food stores, which were abandoned buildings that had been salvaged. All the food that had been either found or recovered was there—for some reason, the non-perishable food items had been left untouched in the attack. Most were stored in underground cellars that were particularly strong—Relena had had one in her house.

_I'll get some food for a real breakfast, _she thought. _And maybe get some more water, too._

 Relena remembered what life had been like, a few months ago. The war had been over for one year, and peace had been a normal part of life. Relena had been living in the Peacecraft palace, leading the people of the Sank Kingdom in a time of pacifism. Zechs and Noin lived in a small house near the palace, and Relena had made up the lost years with her brother and his new fiancé. Life had been perfect…until that morning. Explosions had shattered the early morning air, mingled with screams. The palace had crumbled to the ground, but Zechs had pulled Relena out of the debris. She hadn't been hurt too badly, but the three of them—Zechs, Relena and Noin—were forced to run, and run hard. When Relena had asked what had happened, Zechs had looked her straight in the eyes and said the four words that had changed her life forever…

_ " Milliardo? What's happening?"_

_ " Nuclear attack. White Fang." He stammered, pulling her to her feet and, grasping her hand, running. Shots rang out behind them, and more screams of pain as the surviving people in the palace were shot…_

 Relena sighed, bringing herself back to the present. That had been nine long months ago, and since she still had her life, and her brother, Noin and Heero, she shouldn't be dwelling on the past.

 Relena's eyes continually flicked back and forth, watching the streets. All of the other people in the streets walked like zombies—straight and slow, with their eyes staring forward and nowhere else. It made the girl nervous, and she continually looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her.

 However, just as Relena reached the food stores, a hand shot out from an alley that was beside her and covered the girl's mouth so that she couldn't scream. Another hand yanked her into the alley, forcing her against a wall. Relena tried with all her strength to escape, but her attempts were in vain. In her feeble efforts to twist free, Relena never saw nor remembered the three men who surrounded her or the gun that was pointed in front of her. She did, however, remember a loud bang, the sensation of dropping to the ground and a piercing, white-hot pain just below her collarbone…a pain that increased as blackness began to surround her.

 _Heero…_

 And then Relena knew no more.

 Several blocks away, Heero's eyes shot open wide and he sat up in bed, a sense of foreboding overwhelming him. Dread filled him as he crept to the girls' bedroom, where all the beds were filled…all but one.

 " Relena…" Heero whispered, feeling sick. " Oh god…"

 Somewhere, deep inside of him, a voice whispered.

 _She is going to die if you don't find her…_

 Heero closed his eyes, steadying himself on his feet.

 " Mission Accepted…" he murmured as he pulled on his raincoat and locked the apartment door behind him.

 Noin opened her eyes slowly, trying to savour every bit of sleep she could grasp. She shivered slightly and wished that she had more blankets—it got very cold when there was no sunlight, and in the mornings after rain or snow it was particularly chilly.

 Checking her watch, Noin groaned quietly to see that it was still only eight in the morning. Although she had gotten up at six every day since she had been thirteen, nowadays nobody had enough strength to wake so early.

_ Damn internal alarm clock,_ She thought. _Getting up at eight used to be sleeping in for me!_

 Standing, Noin crossed the room to the tiny set of shelves that the girls shared and picked up a medium-sized, plain tin container from the bottom shelf. Going into the kitchen, she pulled the lid of the tin off to reveal a candle inside the tin. Striking a match, Noin lit the candle and almost immediately the smell of cappuccino filled the room. Breathing in, Noin sighed with pleasure—the scent was a favourite of hers, and this candle was all that she had left of it.

 Checking the food supplies, she saw that there was a bit of coffee left and preceded to pour herself a cup, watching the candle as it wavered in the early morning air.

 " May I join you?" a husky voice asked behind her. Noin smiled at the sound.

 " Of course, be my guest. I could always do with some company."

 Zechs walked into the room and poured himself some coffee, sitting across from Noin. She reached over and took his hand gently.

 " Good morning."

 Zechs nodded.

 " Same to you. Evidently your body, like mine, still says to get up or the drill sergeant will kick your ass," he grinned. " Not that it matters anymore."

 Noin returned the grin and laid her head on Zechs' shoulder, sighing softly.

 " This is so odd…living like this. We used to have everything, remember? Everything we needed…everything we wanted…"

 Zechs nodded.

 " Yes. Now it's gone. All of it…but we still have each other."

 Noin lifted her head off his shoulder and blew out the candle.

 " I think I'll try to get back to sleep, what about you?"

 Zechs opened his mouth to speak, but before he could make a sound Hilde burst into the kitchen, eyes red from crying.

 " Relena's gone!" she sobbed. " We can't find her, and her weather gear is missing, too! Heero went to look for her, and he…he…"

 Zechs tried to calm the girl down.

 " Maybe she just went on a walk, or something like that—to get some breakfast, or something—"

 Hilde held out a shaking hand to reveal a bloodstained peace of paper.

 " This…we found this…someone slid it under the door…"

 Zechs took the paper and opened it. He could barely make out the writing because of the bloodstains, but when he did finish his eyes opened wide and he dropped the paper.__

_ The blood of a princess stains the ground_

_But her life force shall remain intact_

_Bring yourselves, no more, no less_

_For it is you we want._

_It is only then, only then,_

_That princess shall be set free_

_To find the bodies of her friends,_

_Dead at her hands._

_Her life, or yours?_

_You must decide._

_W.F._

 Zechs met Hilde's eyes slowly.

 " W.F…white fang…"

 Hilde managed a nod before collapsing to the floor in a dead faint.

A/N: See, I told you things get interesting. Sorry about the wait and about the slightly shorter chapter, but this was a good place to end. Please review, no flames, or I will get writer's block on purpose.


	4. Part IV

Part IV

A/N: Well, the plot thickens…and now it thickens more. I hope nobody hates that there is fluff in this story…mucho fluff in this chapter…if you aren't a 4XD or 6X9 fan, exit now. Especially 4XD. You've had your warning.

 Quatre paced the sitting room, distraught. Everyone had thought that they were safe from the White Fang rebels, but they had been wrong…now, it seemed as though they would never be safe, from anything. All senses of security the teen possessed had disappeared in an instant, when one of his friends had vanished.

 " Quatre, you look like a caged tiger. Stop pacing, for god's sake, and sit down."

 Quatre was surprised when Dorothy's hands rested on his shoulders for a moment before forcing him gently into a sitting position in one of the chairs. She sat opposite him, shaking her head.

 " Pacing will not help you. It just increases your stress and makes you dizzy. Trust me on this one."

 Quatre nodded.

 " Gomenasai, but…"

 " You're worried. About Ms. Relena."

 Quatre felt a smile playing at the corner of his lips and looked at the floor to hide it. This girl always seemed to be able to read his mind. He turned serious again and looked up at Dorothy.

 " Dorothy, you were with White Fang for a while. What happened nine months ago? Exactly? And don't say that you don't know because you do. I know it."

 Dorothy was about to protest when Quatre's deep blue eyes met hers solemnly. Her heart melted at those eyes, their intensity searching her soul, pinning down her very being and delicately pressing for information. Dorothy knew, right then and there, that she would do anything for those eyes. So, with a sigh, she nodded.

 " I do know. For a while when I was in White Fang, they were testing out a new type of nuclear weapon. It was powerful enough to destroy all civilization on earth, but because of its huge power the amount of radiation in this bomb changed—became thicker—so that it couldn't penetrate anything solid, like a coat or a wall. Once the radiation disappeared into the atmosphere, it could only be released by rain or snow. When the White Fang dispelled and Zechs disappeared, the rebels became angry and dropped the bombs. Although the earth itself was not destroyed, almost all civilization on it was. The human race, other than on the colonies, was almost wiped out. That it all I know."

 Quatre nodded to show that he understood.

 " Now things make sense. However, I find it quite funny that we were all living in the same area at the time. Was it fate, or was it a trick?"

 Dorothy shrugged.

 " No idea. I'm going out to find some food, maybe some clues. Do you want to come with me?"

 Quatre nodded.

 " Sure, anything to get my mind off Relena."

 Noin heard this and smiled as the two got ready.

 " Relena will be fine—with Heero out there, looking for her, she'll be back by nightfall. Guaranteed."

 Relena awoke slowly, her awareness returning bit by agonizing bit. Her collarbone was on fire, and when Relena looked down she saw a bandage there. Her clothes were ripped and torn—obviously, after she had passed out, her captors had beaten her. Every inch of Relena's body hurt like hell.

 " Heero," she whispered as tears made their way down her face. " Help me…"

 _They haven't tied me down,_ Relena noticed as she lifted her wrist slowly. _They must know I am too weak to escape on my own._

 A woman came into the room and grinned a toothless grin at Relena.

 " Welcome, princess," she said as she lifted the bandage on the girl's collarbone, checked the wound and put the bandage back. " I trust you slept well."

 " Why did you do this?" Relena croaked. The woman smiled again.

 " Because you have value, my dear. You can bring that traitor Zechs and the murderer, Heero, to us. They simply have to know that every day you will lose a bit more of your life, and they will come to us. Then, we'll have all we need to rule the earth."

 Relena couldn't take this. Gathering what strength she had left, the girl took a breath and spit at the back of the woman's neck as she walked away, a useful anger trick taught to her by Hilde. The woman turned around, her face contorting with hate.

 " You destroyed the earth," Relena hissed. " You will be ruling a wasteland, and you know it. Let Heero and my brother come: we'll all get out alive. That is something I can guarantee you."

 " Why you little…" the woman whipped out a gun and, aiming at Relena's heart, moved the barrel up two inches and fired, right below Relena's throat. Relena screamed in agony before passing out again.

 The woman sheathed her gun and dressed the new wound.

 " Well, at least the little princess can be quieted," she said before leaving the room.

 Noin finished doing the dishes from the quick dinner that she had prepared when Heero, Duo, Quatre, Zechs and Hilde had come back from searching for Relena. There had been no luck in finding her, and now everyone was asleep but for Quatre, Dorothy and herself.

 Drying her hands, Noin turned around to see Zechs standing there, grinning.

 " I wish I had a camera," he said. " You doing the dishes…I swear, nuclear attacks do dangerous things to people's personalities."

 Noin laughed and allowed herself to be pulled into her fiancé's embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

 " You know what?"

 " What?"

 Noin sighed.

 " I miss our cat. She was so sweet, and gentle…I wonder if there are any cats left in the world."

 " Well, there are cats in the colonies," Zechs said, kissing the top of Noin's head gently before continuing. " We'll get one as soon as things get better. I promise."

 " All right, and what of being married?" Noin teased. Zechs tipped her face up and captured her lips with his as an answer.

 " Well, what do you think?" he asked as he broke the kiss. " Of course."

 Noin remembered when they had first been engaged. It had been such a happy time for them, a time of peace. They still had their identical rings, gold bands with two grey pearls set into the metal.

 " Come on," Zechs said softly, bringing Noin back to the present. " Let's go to bed."

 As they walked down the hall, Noin had to smile. Zechs was still her Zechs, and nothing could change that.

 Trowa stood silently before a circus trailer, debating on whether or not to go in—he hadn't been there in nine months. He was off work, seeing as Wufei had gone with an emergency group to earth and Lady Une was still searching for the eight friends via computer. They had practically kicked him out of the office.

_ I can't believe it has been nine months since the attack, _Trowa thought. _Nine months, and still they haven't been found. What's the point of searching?_

 His thoughts brought up images of Heero, Quatre and Duo in his mind. Trowa blinked—_Why am I crying?_—as he thought of his dear friends.

_ I can't give up on them. They're still alive down there—I can feel it._

 Going up to the trailer door, Trowa knocked once.

 " Come in!" A voice called. Trowa opened the trailer door and heard a scream as Catherine dropped the dish she was holding.

 " _Trowa?_ Trowa, is it really you?"

 " Her, Cathy," Trowa said, wrapping her in a hug. " How have you been?"

 " I thought you were dead! Shame on you, for not coming to see me sooner! Oh god, Trowa, I thought…"

 " I know," he replied, sitting on the couch. " But I am fine, and evidently so are you. Unfortunately, I can't say that for my friends."

 " What? Oh, Trowa, don't tell me that they…they didn't survive…" Catherine sat beside him. Trowa shrugged.

 " I honestly don't know. They're lost, Cathy. Wufei and I have been searching for nine months already, going on ten, and we can't find them."

 Catherine hugged her brother again.

 " They'll be all right. If you ever need anything, you know where to come: right here."

 Trowa smiled.

 " Thanks, Cathy," he kissed her cheek on his way out. " You're becoming more gentle every day."

 " I am NOT!"

 Trowa's smile stretched to a grin as he walked out of the trailer. His first grin in nine full months.

 The woman who had treated Relena knelt before a young man in his mid-twenties, who could have been considered handsome had he not possessed a scar running down the side of his face.

 " Rise, please," he said to the woman, who obeyed. " Tell me: is the girl rebellious?"

 The woman nodded.

 " Yes, very much so, Your Excellency. I shot her again to sedate her."

 " But she is alive, still?"

 " Yes, unfortunately. Hopefully, Zechs and Heero Yuy will come to us."

 The man looked confident.

 " All seven of them will come. And when they do, they will not escape our trap. They shall die. Whether by our hand or by Relena's, it is their choice."

 Quatre and Dorothy strolled along the streets in silence as night fell. After a while of just walking Quatre looked at the girl beside him.

 " Dorothy, how did you survive the attack?" he asked gently. Dorothy shook her head and kept on walking.

 " I don't want to talk about it."

 However, Quatre's gentle hand on her arm stopped Dorothy in her tracks. She turned back to see his eyes…those eyes again, with understanding and compassion and sadness in them, all directed at her…

 " I…I was with the White Fang rebels," she managed to choke out before tears began coursing down her cheeks. " Not by choice. I was running and…and they caught me. Dragged me into an alley, six men, all with one intent."

 " To rape you." Quatre guessed, watching the street. Dorothy shook her head.

 " No, thank god. However, they…they told me it was all my fault that this was happening. They…they beat me to within an inch of my life before Zechs showed up and shot them dead. I was certain that I was going to die that day. My physical scars have healed, even disappeared. The emotional pain…that it was all my fault, that I caused this…that has never left me. Never."

 Quatre reached out and enclosed Dorothy's hand in his own, causing the girl to look from their hands to his eyes, where she saw he was serious.

 " I know you didn't do anything," he said simply. " You've had a difficult past: I can accept that. I give you no blame for the lives that were lost, because I know that you did nothing whatsoever. You're just like me in many ways, Dorothy: we're both lost souls trying to find someone…anyone…who will understand us. Funny, how we found each other…"

 By this time they were walking down an alley, one that led to a different street that would lead them home. Dorothy stopped upon hearing Quatre's words, her hand slipping from his. Quatre turned around.

 " Dorothy?"

 She shook her head at him. Now she was the cornered animal again, scared and without escape.

 " We—we hardly know each other. I tried to kill you, and I almost succeeded! I…was your enemy. You don't know a thing about my past, my suffering…"

 She was cut off quite suddenly by Quatre placing a hand over her lips. The former pilot was smiling.

 " Dorothy, when will you figure it out that I simply don't care about who you used to be?" he murmured, leaning forward and pressing his mouth to hers.

 Dorothy was shocked, frozen in place by the lip lock. She felt herself blushing furiously as Quatre's hands moved from his pockets to her waist, and yet she didn't try to pull away. She wouldn't have been able to, had she tried, simply because she didn't want to move. This…this was what she had wanted. Someone to love her, someone who wouldn't leave her as her family had done those years ago. And that person was Quatre.

 The blond-haired pilot pulled away slowly, his eyes locking with hers. Dorothy had the tiniest hint of a smile on her face.

 " I think I just figured it out," she whispered, placing both hands on Quatre's neck and, closing her eyes, gently returning the kiss he had given her, only to find the action countered—and then re-countered—with passion that neither of them had ever felt in their entire lives.

 Had there been any passer-bys on the streets that night, they might have observed the two teens kissing in the moonlight. The person would have smiled, remembering his or her own moments of teenage love. They would have been glad that there was still happiness in the world, at least for two people anyway.

 But there was nobody that saw them. Nobody could see the hope that flared from the two as they finally let go of their pasts, plus the love that they felt for each other as they realized how much they had needed someone to love, and someone who loved them back, in a world where all they had possessed was gone and where anything was possible.

 But hope and love are enough to do anything, even when the world has, literally, crumbled beneath your feet.

A/N: Longer chapter, seeing as people have reviewed so much. You are all so great; you deserve chocolate! *gives out huge batches of fudge to all *. Thank you so much for enjoying this story. What about that twist? How will Relena kill her friends? The nuclear attack has finally been explained, for those of you who were wondering about it. I am so sorry about the fluff if you hate it, but first of all, it fits the story and has significance later, and second of all I couldn't resist! R&R please, no flames.


	5. Part V

Part V

A/N: oh god, this is great. As far as I know, I am on one person's fave stories list and the reviews went from 28 to 37 in about 24 hours! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Hmm, a little comic relief to start off this very serious chapter…R&R no flames please.

 Hilde tossed and turned on her mattress, trying to get to sleep. However, she was wide awake—she had been ever since she'd found that note.

 Beside her, Noin groaned and opened her eyes, sitting up.

 " Can't sleep, can you?" she asked. Hilde shook her head.

 " Nope. Not a wink. What about you? Did I disturb you?"

 Noin smiled at the girl's apology and also shook her head.

 " No, I am also pretty upset about this. You should see my fiancé, he's even worse. But, then again, Relena is his sister."

 Hilde smiled and looked to Dorothy's pallet, which was empty. Checking her digital watch, Hilde whistled softly.

 " It's midnight and Dorothy and Quatre are still out. Do you think something's happened to them?"

 Noin grinned evilly.

 " I'm pretty sure they're all right. In fact, had we any money, I'd bet you they're better than all right—I've wanted to play matchmaker for a long time for those two but never could. They're meant for each other."

 Hilde giggled.

 " Of course. It's about time, too. When Dorothy gets back, I call dibs on the first joke we make about her and Quatre."

 Noin rolled her eyes and groaned playfully.

 " This is hilarious—we're just like sisters, look like we could be related, but we were so different during the Gundam War."

 Hilde nodded.

 " Yeah, well, nuclear attacks change things." She murmured, lying down again.

 Just as the woman was about to reply, the door creaked open and Dorothy came in, trying to move quietly. She dressed in pyjamas and crawled into her bed, at which time Hilde sat up.

 " Hey, Dorothy," she whispered. " Where did you and Quatre go?"

 Dorothy immediately guessed what her friend was up to and decided to tell the truth—if she lied, she would never hear the end of it. Over nine months the four girls had had many truth sessions, where they confessed their deepest darkest secrets. Until now Dorothy had had one secret she hadn't been able to tell anybody, but Quatre had gotten in out of her…that, and a whole lot of kisses. So, with a sigh, she grinned.

 " We were just walking the streets together. Why?"

 " You didn't do anything, did you?" Noin continued. Dorothy held up her hands in mock surrender.

 " All right, you caught me. Yes, Quatre and I kissed. Are you happy now?"

 " And nothing else?" Hilde prompted, which got her a smack with Dorothy's pillow. The girl groaned as she lay back down.

 " Certainly not! Good god, if I'd wanted sex I would've gone to Duo."

 Hilde gasped in fake anger and hit her friend with her own pillow.

 " That's _my_ Duo you're talking about! Shame on you, assuming that! I was only joking!"

 Dorothy grinned.

 " So was I."

 Noin was laughing.

 " I think she got you on that one, Hilde dear. I'd suggest letting her win," she murmured, looking to Dorothy. " Granted you two kissed, but did you like it?"

 Dorothy buried her face in her hands to cover her embarrassment. She could feel her face turning redder by the second. She just managed a tiny nod before she gave way to giggles and was joined by Noin and Hilde, who continued to tease her.

 _This is it, _Dorothy thought. _This is the way life was supposed to be for me. Friends, love, and laughter…all my life, I've been without it, and I went the opposite way. Then, with this disaster, I lost all I possessed…and I finally found a home._

 Hilde opened her eyes a few hours later, glanced at her watch and groaned. It was six in the morning, and she was wide awake. Dressing, she left a note in the kitchen saying that she was going to look for Relena again and exited the building, with the intent to return at lunchtime.

 _It's getting too small in there,_ she thought. _Too many people, so little space…I've got to get outside for a little while, at least. I'll be all right after that._

 Hilde glanced over her shoulder nervously: part of her claustrophobia included that she hated having people behind her.

 _Is this the way I am going to live for the rest of my life? This is no way to be—scared of everything, unable to sleep at night for nightmares of small spaces…god; I probably couldn't pilot a mobile suit because the cockpit is too small a space. What's wrong with me?_

 Two White fang rebels crouched in an alley as Hilde rounded the corner. The second part of their plan was about to come into action.

 With one swift movement, the two jumped out of the alley to land before the astonished girl. For the one who held a heavy piece of metal, it was easy: just the work of one swift strike!

 Dorothy awoke slowly the next morning, trying to get as much sleep as she could. She and the girls had stayed up talking for an hour the night before, and she was exhausted.

 _Maybe if everyone's gone out searching for Relena, I'll get Quatre to myself,_ Dorothy thought. When she realized she was giggling into her pillow, she blinked. _Love certainly does strange things to people_.

 Rising, Dorothy dressed and made her bed, then walked towards the kitchen. However, things went wrong immediately: when she stepped into the kitchen, she found a knife at her throat, its point digging into her skin. Following the blade up, Dorothy's face lost its colour when she realized the owner of the blade was Heero.

 " Heero? What is going on?"

 Looking around the kitchen, Dorothy couldn't believe her eyes. Zechs, Duo, Quatre and Noin were standing quietly, watching her, and all of them but Quatre had the oddest look in their eyes—like Dorothy had betrayed them.

 " This," Heero shoved a bloodstained paper under her nose. " Was found under our door, signed again by White Fang. Read it."

 Dorothy obeyed and was shocked at what she saw.

_Miss Catalonia knows the way,_

_She told us her wish: we carried it out_

_A want, she had, for the world to end_

_Taking all of her friends down with it_

_She betrayed both sides_

_But hides it well,_

_Seducing one of your now few friends_

_We're getting more eager every day_

_The princess' throat is in need of a slice_

_So we would suggest_

_A small hint to you all:_

_A building that you used to know,_

_Once a friend, then an enemy,_

_Who has everything by doing nothing,_

_And has it all, but at the same time not?_

_The princess awaits rescue_

_And we await you._

_One by one,_

_We already have another,_

_And we shall wait._

_Now two lives are on the line._

_W.F._

 Heero's knife moved a fraction of an inch, nicking Dorothy's throat and bringing her back to the present. She felt light-headed and dizzy.

_ No, if I faint now he'll kill me for sure!_ She thought, desperately trying to stay on her feet. Blood from the rather deep cut trickled down her neck, but the girl made no move to stop the flow of blood.

 Heero glared at her as he ripped the paper from her hands.

 " Is this true?" he snarled, thrusting the knife closer. Dorothy swallowed panic and nodded.

 " Yes," she whispered. " Yes, I had a wish for the world to end, taking me with it. But I did not order the rebels to do this. They did it on their own."

 " You're lying." The point of the knife rested at her voice box, and Dorothy knew that if she made any move to run she would certainly either be mute for the rest of her life, or dead. She shook her head ever so slightly.

 " No," she croaked. " No, I tell you the truth! I swear…I swear to god…"

 " And of seducing Quatre?"

 Dorothy looked desperately around the room again, but saw that nothing could help her. All the guilty arrows pointed her way, and there was nothing that she could do to prove it wrong.

 " She didn't seduce me."

 All eyes turned to Quatre, who had just spoken.

 " What did you say?"

 He shook his head.

 " She didn't seduce me. I swear it. But…I had no idea that she wanted something like this to happen to us. That is what I can't believe." There was disappointment in his eyes now, and the emotion buried itself in Dorothy's soul. Tears flowed down her cheeks at this.

 " I'm sorry," she whispered. " I think I just lost my home."

 Heero indicated the door, shoving Dorothy from the kitchen to the hall.

 " Out. You betrayed us, you set this whole thing up, and now you just lost our trust. Get out, and never come back."

 Dorothy looked at Quatre, who was still standing silently in the kitchen, still looking disappointed at her. Disappointed because of her past, because of something they had both sworn to forget.

 _How quickly things change…now I remember why I never trusted anybody: they'll always break your heart once they have it in their hands. There's nothing left for me now._

She nodded, and without another word she walked out the door.

 Hilde woke up slowly, her head pounding. Reaching up to feel the wound, her hand hit metal.

 " What the—"

 Hilde tried to sit up, but banged her head on more metal. Her eyes shot open as she realized that she was trapped in a metal box, with only just enough room for her to breathe. She was curled up inside it, with no escape.

 " How do you like fear, girl?" a voice asked, cackling. Hilde noticed a tiny hole that had been cut in the box, to provide oxygen and for her to see through. However, when she tried to answer, panic washed over her like a wave and her voice failed. 

_ Let me out!_ Hilde's mind screamed as another wave of panic consumed her. She realized that she was hyperventilating too late and collapsed as her awareness became cloaked in the dark void that was her fear.

 The man who had spoken smiled and turned on his heel, locking the door to the room behind him. Things were going perfectly.

 " A prison for the mind," he murmured. " One for each of them, to confront their deepest fears. Beautiful."

 Dorothy ran through the streets, her tears blinding her vision. Snow, tinged green with radiation, began to fall slowly as the girl wandered under the shades that protected the sidewalks from the weather.

Remembering her happiness the night before, Dorothy had to swallow a sob. It seemed like so long ago that she had believed that hope was enough to do anything.

 " Hope and love…yeah, right…the instant I got some hope into my life, I lost everything else…what's the point of hoping—or loving—in this living hell?"

 _Nothing…nothing left, nothing that I can do. I'm back where I started…alone, without anybody to turn to for help. I never should have trusted him, _she thought, sliding down in a sitting position against a wall. _I should have known things were too good to be true._

 Dorothy rubbed her arms vigorously and regretted wearing a skirt and blouse—her clothes offered no protection against the cold wind. Blood still trickled down her throat from Heero's knife.

 _I should have taken a coat! I'll die out here if I don't find somewhere to stay…back home, we would be having pasta and coffee in the sitting room, layered in warm blankets…_

 " I'm sorry for what I have caused," she whispered into the wind as her fingers went numb. " I don't deserve to live at all…"

 Dorothy finally gave up trying to be brave and let her tears come. Rocking back and forth, she sobbed uncontrollably for all she had lost and for what looked to be a very short, very bleak future. Finally, when she had no strength left to cry and could no longer feel her limbs, Dorothy closed her eyes and willed for her death to be a quick one.


	6. Part VI

Part VI

A/N: FF.net is back up! I just realized I am on the sixth part of what was originally going to be quite a short story…there you go, see what reviews do? This may be a confusing chapter at first, but you'll figure it out.

 The man with the scar watched Relena as the girl slept, blood from her now many wounds seeping sluggishly into crude bandages.

 _She's perfect,_ he thought. _The perfect little princess for our plan. When we get our hands on all eight of them, they will pay. Even Mister Milliardo. I know it._

 Turning on his heel, he went to check on the prisons. Yes…for the blonde girl, in image of her loved one dying…for Mister Milliardo's lady friend, of him with another woman.

 _All is going to plan so well, and the best part is that they don't even know what they're up against: themselves._

 Duo searched the kitchen, looking for something to eat. He was starving—although they had eaten lunch, it had been quite small and not enough to satisfy his appetite.

 As he opened a drawer Hilde's note fell from where it had been attached to the counter, unnoticed in the morning's events. Duo read the note carefully.

 _Guys—_

_ Went out to look for Relena, apartment got too small. Back at lunchtime, I promise._

_ Hilde_

 Duo checked his watch: 8:43 PM.

 Dread crept through him as he realized what the bloodstained note had meant: two lives on the line; first Relena, now Hilde.

 _They're picking us off one by one!_ Duo thought as he dropped Hilde's note in shock. He had to tell the others._ Good god, who's next?_

 When Dorothy's awareness next returned, the first thing she noticed was a sudden weight on her chest, shoulders and knees. The rest of her limbs were too numb to know anything at all, and the icy cold blast of air to her face indicated that the storm was still going strong. A shiver hit her without warning, and her body shook uncontrollably. Although she ordered her eyes to open, they didn't obey—they were too numb. Then, through the screaming winds, she heard the voice.

 " Oh god, please don't die on me. Please, please wake up…come back to me, Dorothy. Come on…come back to me…"

 The voice seemed to be on the brink of crying, its sound full of mixed emotions—loss, panic, dread and a glimmer of hope.

 _Hope…_

 Her frozen eyelids opened slowly.

 Dorothy's body, which had been frozen into a sitting position against the wall, was covered with several thick blankets. Already they were working their magic: her body was slowly thawing and Dorothy found she was able to move her arms. She turned her head slightly to see Quatre sitting beside her, his grin ear to ear and tears trickling down his cheeks silently.

 " You stupid ass," he croaked. " What did you go out without a coat for?"

 " Quatre!" Dorothy whispered with relief as his arms surrounded her tightly and his mouth captured hers in a passionate kiss. When they separated, Quatre's arms tightened as Dorothy began crying again, this time for relief that she had been wrong. She had been gloriously wrong about him…she could trust Quatre: he wasn't going to break her heart as everyone else in her life had done.

 " Shh…it's all right, I'm here. I'm here," Quatre murmured, rocking her gently back and forth. " I promise, I'll never leave you."

 " How…how did you find me?" Dorothy asked, lifting her head off his chest and resting it on his shoulder. Quatre smiled faintly.

 " Well, about five minutes after you ran out, Heero followed to make sure you didn't come back. Everyone else was quite mad at me, asking me what the hell I thought I was doing, how I had ever considered trusting someone like you. I was considering running out myself when Heero came back and reported that a blizzard had begun. I knew you'd gone out without a coat and would freeze to death in the weather. As everyone started eating lunch I said to myself, ' you idiot, why didn't you go after her?' So I gathered blankets and spent the next three hours searching for you. I must say, you ran quite far," he murmured, pressing his sleeve to Dorothy's neck to stop the blood that had begun to flow again. " I almost gave up when I saw you, and for a moment I thought you were dead."

 " Can I tell you a secret?" Dorothy whispered, feeling drowsiness take her once more.

 " What?"

 " I thought I was dead, too."

 Quatre laughed, kissing her forehead gently.

 " Tell you what: we'll go back to the house and you'll tell everyone what really happened to you. I'll be right there, I promise."

 " Why didn't you protect me the first time?" she murmured. " I…I thought you hated me. You looked so disappointed, like I had let you down."

 Quatre sighed.

 " I just…I just can't believe someone would want the world to end, taking them and all they loved with it. That's all. I know now that you were depressed, and as I told you before I give you no blame whatsoever, and I will always love you, no matter what."

 Dorothy nestled closer to the man she loved, closing her eyes.

 " Good," she whispered. " I think hope just proved itself at a very convenient time."

 Hilde opened her eyes slowly, peering in front of her to see that she was still enclosed in the box. The metal was freezing cold and Hilde's coat had been ripped off her body when she had been attacked, so she was dressed only in her pyjamas: a tank top and thin cotton pants. She began shivering uncontrollably from the cold metal, swallowing her fear.

 _I must get out of here…_

 Reaching up as best she could, Hilde felt the bump on her head, which was quite serious. However, the girl's hand was suddenly stabbed by something as she examined the wound.

 " What the—"

 Pulling the object from her hair, Hilde began grinning hard. As a soldier from OZ and from being Duo's girl, she knew several escape tricks, one of which was to undo locks from the inside using a hairpin, which was exactly what Hilde held in her hand.

 _Excellent. Thank you, woman's intuition!_ she thought. It was the work of a second to twist the hairpin into the appropriate shape, and then only a few minutes before the door opened with a small click.

 Immediately Hilde felt the incredible, overwhelming sensation of freedom. She scrambled out of the steel prison and, upon trying to stand, found that her legs were too weak to hold up her body. She collapsed to the ground, trying to be as quiet as she could but at the same time trying to get air into her lungs, which had grown raw and tired from smothering screams and breathing too hard.

 _I've got to get out of this place,_ Hilde thought desperately as she gasped for air. _Got to…get to Duo…_

 Hilde stopped coughing suddenly when she heard voices coming her way.

 " Damn," she muttered to herself as she forced her body to stand and prepared herself for one of her all-time favourite tricks against an enemy; she hid behind the door and waited. Sure enough, the White Fang rebels came running and didn't bother shutting the door behind them as they flew into the room. Hilde, unnoticed in the darkness, waited two seconds and then bolted out the open and unguarded door silently.

 _Now, to get out of the building, preferably with Relena in tow, _she thought, flitting from hallway to hallway silently. She had to stop every few minutes and rest her tired muscles, which were stiff and sore from being in a curled position for too long.

 " Which way is the exit?" Hilde muttered. " For god's sake, you'd think that…"

 Herein followed several rather colourful words that would have made the worst of sailors cringe. Hilde had to grin: bits of Duo's personality had rubbed off on her with all the time she had spent with him.

 Turning a corner, Hilde slammed right into a door—hard. The door opened as she fell against it so that she stumbled into a room in her blind attempt to recover the air that had been knocked out of her body. 

 Then, she heard it.

 The unmistakeable sound of a gun being cocked.

 Hilde looked up.

 Immediately she wished that she hadn't.

 Standing before her, with a gun pointed to her forehead, was a shadowy figure. Hilde followed the gunpoint up to see cobalt eyes, a mad grin, a black cap and a long braid of brown hair hanging down the figure's back.

 Hilde felt faint.

 " Duo?"

 Dorothy and Quatre sat inside an old building that had only partially crumbled, wrapped in blankets and talking in low whispers. This was one of the food stores, and the survivors had begun to sit around there as a sort of hangout. Today, however, because of the weather, the two teens were the only people there.

 " So, what do you think this riddle meant?" Quatre said, showing Dorothy the scribbled copy of the note that he had made that morning. She shivered slightly from the cold and took the note, examining it several times.

 " Well, they seem to be using antonyms here—having everything by doing nothing, and having it all, but having naught at the same time. What kind of thing would fall into that category?"

 Quatre shrugged.

 " I'm clueless, but I think you're getting ahead of yourself. The first part of the hint is a building…one that we used to know. Well," he said, his eyes playful. " I've known a lot of buildings in my time, what about you?"

 Dorothy giggled.

 " Same here, although I don't think any of them became an enemy. I suppose they mean the people inside the building and I also assume that this hint follows the Gundam war, but to which side are they trying to give the hint? I mean, to the colonies, a lot of 'buildings' betrayed them—OZ, the Alliance, the Romafellar Foundation—"

 "—The Romafellar Foundation?" Quatre cut her off suddenly. " Wait just a second. Wasn't the Romafellar Foundation founded by aristocrats?"

 Dorothy nodded. Quatre stood.

 " That's it! Aristocrats are, by definition, rich people who gained their money without doing jobs, who usually live alone without family! They have everything by doing nothing and, although having riches, have no family to turn to! That's it!"

 Dorothy also stood, carrying the little paper.

 " We have to get back home," she said. " This means…this means that we know where Relena is."

 The two looked at each other and whispered the same thing:

 " The Romafellar Building…"

In her fevered dream, Relena sat beneath an apple tree, letting the sun shine down on her through the branches. She was on earth—an earth as it had been almost a year ago, peaceful and without war. An earth that now existed only in memory.

 Relena sighed, trying not to let her tears show. She missed Heero so much…

 A shadow fell over her and Relena looked up to see Heero, but a Heero she had never seen before. He wore jeans and a shirt, and he cracked a true smile when he saw her looking surprised at him.

 " What's the matter, princess? Am I too casual for you?" the tone was playful, his eyes sparkling like deep blue gems, showing her that he was joking.

 " Heero…"

 He held out a hand to help her up, which she accepted.

 " I came back," he murmured, taking her hands in his. She trembled, remembering all of her past moments with him—of the Perfect Soldier, the inhumane killer. Relena managed a weak smile.

 " You did," she whispered. " You did."

 Heero sighed.

 " Listen, Relena," he said seriously, his voice soft. " I…I wanted to apologize to you. For treating you the way I did during the war. I was messed up then, and seriously so. I…I never realized what a wonderful person I had met, or how I broke her heart."

 Relena blinked slowly at the sound of such gentle words.

 " You don't have to do this—" she was silenced as Heero shook his head.

 " I must. I hurt a being so beautiful and wonderful that I don't even deserve to be here, with that person. I…I realize that now, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry with all of my heart."

 " Heero…"

 " I believe," he murmured, cupping her cheek in a hand. " That there is only one way for me to fix this. I don't deserve a second chance, but I pray you'll give me one anyways. I do hope you forgive me, Relena…"

 And then he kissed her.

 He was so gentle, so assure and different from the Heero that Relena had known during the war. He was like the schoolboy he had never gotten the chance to be—ready to live, and live to the fullest, ready to love, ready to act on his emotions without fear. Relena sensed all of this, and she knew it was sincere the instant their lips touched.

 They separated slowly, looking into each other's eyes. Relena was crying.

 " Every day," she whispered, reaching a hand up to gently touch his face. " Every day after the war began…every time I was in danger, I thought, 'let me live through this, so I can see Heero's face…one more time'…and all that time I never realized how much I loved you…never realized how much you'd influence my life…and now I know it. I know it with my heart."

 Heero was grinning.

 " So I take it you forgive me, then?" he asked. To this Relena had to smile.

 " Will you believe me if I say yes?" she asked, leaning in to kiss him again…

_ Heero…_

 Relena awoke with a start and immediately wished that she hadn't. Her body was so torn and beaten now that she could barely breathe. Aside from the wounds to her collarbone, she had been shot at least twice in each limb, whipped and punched. Her fever had given her hallucinations and she had been fading in and out of a deep sleep for a long time now.

 Relena wanted with all her heart to cry as her dream came back to her, the memory of her first kiss. She wanted to cry, but yet she didn't—she didn't because she simply had no strength.

_ God, please end this now,_ she cried out in her mind. _Now, and have it over with._

 Hilde crouched, speechless, as Duo circled her, still pointing the gun. He was grinning insanely and occasionally he placed a foot on Hilde's back and pushed her hard onto the floor. She knew that if she tried to resist he would kill her without blinking an eye. She was so shocked at what was happening to her that she couldn't move, anyhow.

 _Not Duo…not_ my _Duo…oh god, why is this happening?_

 This is the very thing that she had feared most in all the world, aside from her claustrophobia—of Duo turning against her, trying to kill her. After all, when they had first met they had been enemies. Now, Hilde's biggest fear was alive.

 " Get up, girl," Duo said roughly, brandishing the gun. Hilde slowly rose to her feet. Duo was walking towards her now, forcing her against the wall. He stood a few paces back and aimed.

 " Don't move a muscle if you want to stay alive for the next five minutes," he said, and fired.

 The bullet zipped through the air and hit the wall barely an inch from Hilde's head. Another shot found the side of her arm, where it grazed the skin slightly. She closed her eyes, shaking from fear and trying to wish the pain of the new wound away.

 " Oh Hilde," Duo sang in a singsong voice. " I don't think we're quite finished yet…"

 Now he was barely two inches from her. He laid the gun squarely on her forehead, causing Hilde to open her eyes.

 _Oh god, forgive me for what I must do… _she thought frantically as she planned her retaliation carefully. She closed her eyes once more and prayed that she wouldn't hurt him too badly. With the careful precision of a skilled pro, Hilde kicked out hard and low at Duo. A yelp followed by the removal of the gun from her head and a wave of swears told her that she had hit her mark. She grinned—after working in the army with men, she knew their weak spots. Moving quickly. She snapped her foot out and knocked the handgun from Duo's hand, flipping it up in the air. She caught the weapon.

 " Damn woman!" Duo made a charge at her, but Hilde ducked and knocked his hand aside. Duo was acting crazy for some reason, but the fact that she loved him was no excuse not to defend herself. 

 Then, it happened.

 Duo turned into one of the terrible soldiers that had killed her family, the ones she had sworn to get revenge on, the ones that had haunted her memories. She hated them with all of her heart. Hilde's battle instincts, which had lain dormant for nine long months, kicked in—hard. Now, she was the OZ soldier again—ruthless and utterly without mercy. Now, she was in control. She would be the only one left standing. She was the best female soldier in the OZ military—the perfect shot, the one who never missed her target. Suddenly, without thinking, she yanked out the gun and, pointing it at Duo's head, pulled the trigger.

 A single bullet shot out of the gun.

 Time slowed as the piece of metal raced towards Duo's forehead.

 And struck, straight and true.

 Hilde never missed.

A/N: Another cliffhanger! * Whacks muse* Shame!!

Muse: Well, this happens to be a drama.

Me: Yeah, but I thought this would be five parts at the most!

Muse: * Shrugs* Meh, whatever.

Well …review and part VII will definitely go up soon. 


	7. Part VII

Part VII

A/N: the much-awaited…part 7! 

 " Are you sure?" Zechs asked as Quatre and Dorothy gave their explanation. They both nodded, although Quatre was the one who spoke.

 " Yes. The Romafellar Building isn't far from here, and is in the best possible condition—we checked. Aside from some chipped paint, it looks the same as it did two years ago. It's got to be where they're hiding—and where the White Fang rebels are keeping Relena and Hilde."

 Heero nodded, glaring at Dorothy.

 " All right, I believe you two. I need to get those girls out of there. I don't know what they wanted with Relena, but you can guarantee that there's no way in hell I'm going to let them get away with it."

 Duo raised one eyebrow.

 " Yes, but you're going to need our help—even The Perfect Soldier can't pull this off on his own. Hilde happens to be my girl—if anything has happened to her, I'll avenge it."

 Heero turned to Quatre and Dorothy expectantly. Both nodded.

 " We're with you, one hundred percent," Quatre said, squeezing Dorothy's hand ever so slightly. " We want Relena and Hilde back as well."

 Zechs smiled.

 " Me, too."

 Noin sighed, running a hand through her hair nervously.

 " So, the gang's back together again, this time minus the machines and pilots three and five. Do you guys honestly think we can do this? This mission definitely falls into the 'impossible' category."

 Duo grinned evilly.

 " Miss Noin," he replied, cracking his knuckles. " You should know by now that we are Gundam Pilots: impossible is a walk in the park for us."

 Heero nodded.

 " All right, gather around. Here's how we do this…"

 Hilde watched as the man she loved fell back from the impact of the bullet to his forehead. She lowered the gun slowly as he hit the ground, never moving from her tensed shooting position. She was too shocked to cry, too shocked to even move.

 _I just killed him. My true love, the one I searched for all of my life…I killed him._

 Then, much to her surprise, Duo's corpse flickered, as if it were a TV image. Hilde frowned as Duo continued to waver and flash until he disappeared completely, leaving only a small rectangle of metal on the floor.

 Hilde picked up the metal, her brow furrowing.

 " A computer chip," she muttered scornfully. " It wasn't real."

 _Has this anything to do with me being locked in the box? _she thought. _Both of my worst fears, alive and real—and very conveniently, I must add. Is there a connection?_

 Putting the chip in her pocket, Hilde opened the door and crept out of the room, keeping the gun ready at all times. She couldn't afford to make another mistake.

 Heero, Duo, Noin, Dorothy, Quatre and Zechs crouched outside the Romafellar building, watching for guards. The noticed two men, although drunk, who were walking up and down by the front doors.

 Heero sighed inwardly, looking at his bare hands. He missed having a gun. He missed being able to protect himself and those that he now loved.

 " Heero?" this was Quatre. " Are you all right?"

 Heero nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets to warm them.

 " Yeah, I'm fine."

 " Shh!" Zechs placed a finger to his lips and pointed to a couple of guards standing by the front doors.

 Duo's eyebrows rose a full inch at this.

 " The main entrance? Zechs, Heero, are you two out of your minds?"

 Noin shook her head.

 " The rebels are smart—they'll probably expect a sneaky plan, which is why they have stationed two drunk men with AC 180 model guns at the front doors. Besides that fact, I say that if you must insist on killing yourself, go down with a bang. And if this isn't a suicide attempt, I don't know what is."

 Dorothy grinned.

 " Well, we insist. Let's go."

 Hilde crouched by the front doors, keeping her gun ready. Picking off the two men who guarded these doors had been easy: they were drunk and she had crept up behind them. They lay in a lifeless heap in the hall just to her left. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to find Relena, get out of here and get back home, all without being noticed.

 " Damn," was all she had to say.

 Suddenly, without warning, the front doors to the old Romafellar Building burst open, knocking Hilde over. She screamed and aimed the gun, trying to get up in the same movement.

 " Stay back!" she yelled. " I swear to god, I'll kill you if you come any closer!"

 Then, through the shadows appeared a figure with a long braid.

 " Hilde!" Duo. Her Duo. Hilde felt him pull her up and into his arms.

 " Duo…oh god, I thought I'd killed you…" she whispered as tears fought their way out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Duo stopped, confused as Hilde tightened her arms around him. For the last nine months she'd been afraid of being hugged, even from him. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he figured that he'd ask her later.

 Hilde reunited with Noin and Dorothy as well before pulling the computer chip out of her pocket. She gave it to Heero.

 " While I was captured I had to confront my two worst fears," she said simply as he examined the chip. " One is my claustrophobia, the other that Duo would try to kill me because of my past as an OZ soldier. I fought the fake Duo when he tried to kill me and shot him in the head, but he turned out to be a hologram. It was a very real hologram that could be touched and could try to shoot me, but a complete fake. I think that's how they're also trapping Relena, although I have no idea what her worst fear is."

 Heero closed his eyes, clenching his hand around the chip, trying to block out the pain of possibly losing Relena.

 " Death," he whispered with dread. " Slowly losing her life bit by bit. Not being able to say goodbye to us. That is what Relena fears most. In other words, they're killing her…"

 Zechs set his jaw, trying to control his anger.

 " We're going to split up," he said, revealing four stolen handguns from the guards who had been blocking the front doors. He tossed one each to Heero, Noin and Quatre. " Duo and Hilde, Quatre and Dorothy, Heero alone and Noin and myself. We'll meet back here in an hour. If a guard or rebel sees you, at the very least knock him unconscious. If you find Relena, get her out of there and back home as fast as you can. If the rebels are at our home, which they very well might be, go anywhere there might be someone to help."

 The others nodded. Duo was the only one to comment before they left.

 " There's one thing for sure," he said. " If we get out of this alive, I have a feeling that from now on we're going to be very careful about who we make enemies with."

 The others had to agree.

The man with the scar sat silently, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

 " So, the trials begin," he murmured to himself. " We shall see if they can survive living through their worst nightmares. With Relena's every breath, their fate gets worse. It shall be interesting to see what they shall do when they find this out."

 The woman who had treated Relena stood from her kneeled position before him.

 " One way or another, they will all die," she said. " Either they will be weakened by their worst fears and be caught, or will sacrifice themselves for the Princess. She means a lot to them, especially Mister Milliardo."

 The scarred man nodded.

 " This will be a fun sport to watch," he murmured. " Fun, especially since we are the winning side. There is no way we can lose now."

 Heero kept to the shadows along the hall, looking from door to door with dread. Relena could only be in one room, and there were many doors here. He really didn't want to inspect all of them.

 _Relena,_ he thought. _Please send me a sign. Give me something—anything—that tells me where you are._

 As if she had heard his thoughts, Heero heard a faint moan from behind the door to his left. Heero paused for a moment, and then kicked it open. It wasn't locked, to his surprise: it instead slammed behind him when he was in the dark room.

 " Relena?"

 A low, menacing hiss sounded from the shadows. Heero froze, wishing and hoping that hiss wasn't what he thought it was. However, when he turned slowly, his fear was confirmed.

 A huge cobra slithered out of the shadows before Heero, hissing. Its yellow eyes were motionless, indicating that it was going to try hypnosis on him. Heero looked down, at the snake's body, as it curled tightly, poised to strike. He tried to stop himself from shaking: he _hated _snakes, more than anything in the world. He pulled out the gun and tried to shoot it, but the shot misfired.

 " Damn," Heero whispered, looking at his trembling hands. He looked up in time to see the snake leap at him, and rolled away just in time. Heero stood up and jumped to the side as the snake lunged again, its fangs dripping poison.

 Heero frantically searched for his gun and saw, with dread, that the snake had positioned itself in front of the weapon so he couldn't get to it. Heero thought fast, and, taking a deep breath, leaped one step back. Sure enough, the cobra lunged and Heero dodged it, running for his gun. He scooped it up from the floor as the angry snake turned again and fired a blind shot.

 When Heero had calmed down and opened his eyes a few moments later, he saw the image of the now headless snake flicker and fade, becoming a tiny computer chip. Scowling, Heero picked it up: it was identical to the one Hilde had with her. Placing it back down on the floor, Heero brought his foot down on it, crushing the tiny thing.

 He ran out of the room and continued searching, stopping every once in a while to catch his breath. That had been way too close for comfort.

 Unlike Heero, Dorothy and Quatre's chosen path had almost no doors. They also kept to the shadows, stopping every once in a while to check that nobody was coming.

 Dorothy shivered as an echoed scream filled the empty hall.

 " God, I hope that wasn't Relena," she murmured. " This is scary enough as it is."

 Quatre nodded as they came to a pair of doors—the only ones on that hallway. There was one on either side of the hall.

 Quatre nodded to Dorothy.

 " You take the left room, I'll go to the right. Take the gun and, if you must, use it. I'll be fine," he said, noticing her look. " I promise."

 Dorothy nodded and, after listening at the wood to hear if people were inside, turned the handle and entered.

 When Quatre first stepped into the room beyond the door he had chosen, he saw nothing but darkness.

 _Strange,_ he thought when his eyes refused to focus. _That's very strange._

 Quatre never saw the person or thing behind him, but he did remember the pain as something hard hit his head. He never felt himself black out, never felt his eyelids close, never saw the normal blackness that came from shutting one's eyes. Quatre saw nothing, heard nothing—but he knew the pain. It was almost all he had known for nine long months.

 When Quatre's senses next returned, he felt a gentle pressure on his body, as if the air had gotten much thicker in the room. However, when he opened his eyes, Quatre saw something very, very different.

 He was underwater.

 He was drowning, as he had nearly done nearly eleven years ago when he had fallen through thin ice on a river while skating for the first time. Quatre tried to yell for help, but he instead lost a huge bubble of precious oxygen. He watched it with dread as it floated to the surface of the water.

 Quatre struggled to swim, but his clothes were weighing him down, pulling him farther and farther from the surface. Reaching a hand up, he just barely managed to touch the surface of the water—it was ice.

 Pure ice.

 Pulling himself up, Quatre frantically searched the ice with his hands for an opening. There was none. He was stuck under solid ice, drowning without escape.

 In other words, Quatre knew he was done for.

 Closing his eyes, the blonde pilot gave up. Exhaling, he allowed his body to sink slowly. As his senses began to shut down, he knew that he was dying. Quatre finally had no way he could live, no way to survive. He was okay with that, although he regretted giving Dorothy the gun—he could have blasted a hole in the ice.

 _Dorothy…_

 An image flashed through his mind, of the beautiful young girl he had fallen in love with. As if watching a silent movie, Quatre saw Dorothy after his death: her eternal depression, her refusal to speak to anyone, to get too close to anyone, even her friends…her self-imposed exile from society, her eventual suicide a few years later.

 _Everyone has the right to live…_

 The image acted as a jolt to the heart for Quatre. With renewed strength he pulled himself up to the ice and, finding a thin spot, with his last bit of remaining strength, he punched a hole through it. The ice shattered and the skin of his wrist tore; it began to bleed badly. Quatre pulled his head up for a breath of air…

 And then he was lying on the floor of the dark room again, breathing hard as if he had just run a marathon. His clothes, skin and hair were completely dry, and his wrist had completely healed.

 Feeling something sharp press against his heart, Quatre forced his weak body into a sitting position and saw what had been hurting him: a tiny computer-like chip.

 " Our worst fears," he whispered, examining the chip carefully.

 Only Iria and Karen, his two sisters, knew about that fear. They had been the ones who had punched through the solid ice to get to him that day. They had saved his life, but they hadn't been able to save him from the terror of his ordeal.

 Realization hit Quatre like a ton of bricks as he remembered Dorothy.

 _But what is Dorothy afraid of?_

 Quatre scrambled out of the room, across the hall and into the opposite door.

 At first, Quatre couldn't see anything but smoke. As he coughed and it cleared, he saw what was making the smoke: fire. Lots of fire.

 It was a whole roomful of fire, to be exact.

 Quatre heard a strangled, hoarse sob coming from the centre of the room and searched the flames for an opening; there was none. Taking a deep breath, Quatre jumped quickly through the ring of fire to where he hoped Dorothy was.

 There—she was sitting in the middle of the fire, clutching something and sobbing a name: his own name.

 _So, this is what she's afraid of; fire, and losing me to fire, _Quatre thought. He knelt by her, causing Dorothy to look up.

 " Quatre?" she whispered in disbelief, her tears making clear tracks down soot-streaked cheeks. Quatre nodded once and pointed silently to the body she assumed was his: it was fading already, leaving only a computer chip.

 " The fire should fade soon," he had to yell over the sound of flames. Dorothy was shaking as she nodded. However, the flames refused to disappear as the body had done. Quatre ripped a small strip from the hem of his already torn shirt and dipped half of it into the flames; it caught fire.

 _They actually set the room on fire!_ his mind yelled at him. Dorothy screamed as the fire crept closer to them. He saw with dread that propane tanks were scattered all around the room; if the fire hit one, the room would explode. Taking her hand, Quatre saw an opening in the flames and a door beyond that. Pulling Dorothy up, they ran through the fire and out the door, slamming it behind them. They were out not a moment too soon: Quatre pulled Dorothy out of the way as the door exploded outward and the fire shot from the room; he half-dragged her down the hall before he knew that they were safe.

 As soon as Quatre stopped, Dorothy collapsed to the floor. He sank to his knees and held her as she sobbed silently into his shoulder and fought to breathe at the same time.

 " Shh…you're all right," Quatre stroked her hair gently. " You're okay, Dorothy…calm down…I'm here…"

 " I killed him," she whispered. " I killed him…I set him on fire…"

 " Who?" Quatre asked gently, pulling Dorothy's head up to that he could look into her eyes. His hand cupped her cheek gently.

 " My father," Dorothy whispered, barely managing to get the words out. " I didn't mean to…it was an accident. I didn't mean to do it…"

 She sounded like a child who had accidentally broken an irreplaceable vase. Tears still flowed steadily down her cheeks.

 " And you've been afraid of fire ever since," Quatre guessed softly, to which Dorothy nodded.

 " I didn't mean to kill my father, but I did," she murmured. Quatre smiled.

 " You know what?" he asked gently.

 " What?"

 " I did, too," he said, pulling Dorothy into his arms tightly.

 Neither of the two was afraid anymore.

A/N: yeah, Heero could be afraid of snakes…if you think that's odd, wait until you see what I have planned for Zechs…6X9 fans, the next part if for you. That is all I will say until then!

On another note, I am going to be away for three weeks starting on Sunday. By the time I get back part 8 will most probably be done, but I am sorry ahead for the wait. I hope you guys find that it's worth it!


	8. Part VIII

Part VIII

A/N: * sighs* I know, I know…I promised you all a chapter and didn't follow through, even though I've been back from my little 3-week thing for a long while. Well, I made up for it: this longer chapter is very dark, as will be the rest of the story. After this chapter I have one more part to write, and maybe an epilogue. Even so, I am very happy for the support that I have received on this fic, and I just might write a sequel!

 " Zechs."  
 " Yes, Lu? What is it?"

 Noin's voice was a scant whisper, reaching through the pitch-black darkness to Zechs.

 " What are you afraid of?"

 Zechs stopped, slipping his hand from Noin's hold. He felt her halt as well, but in the darkness of the hall he saw nothing.

 " I…I can't tell you, love."

 " Why?" Noin's whisper sounded desperate and full of tears. Zechs would have reached to comfort her, but his cheeks were burning with shame and he had no idea where she was anyway. Instead he stared straight ahead, wishing he had a flashlight.

 " I can't," he murmured. " You'd laugh at me."

 " I would not."

 " Would so. Especially since you stalked me for nearly eight years."

 " I did not stalk you!" Noin snapped. " I didn't even tell you I loved you till the war began, damn it!"

 Zechs had to smile: one thing he loved about Noin was her fiery temper at the rare times it showed. Every bone in his body itched to kiss her, to tell her he was just joking out of anxiety, but he had no idea where she was in the shadows that surrounded the hall.

 A few inches away he heard Noin sigh.

 " I find it incredible that they can think to have a hall with absolutely no trace of light anywhere," she murmured. " Like the training master always said, 'it's great to keep your enemies in the dark, even better if you kick their ass and leave them there.' Wonderful, I wonder if any of the rebels were one of our classmates? I don't know about you, but those damned lessons stuck in my head. I had no time for anything else after that."

 Zechs chuckled, knowing that Noin was complaining to try and make him laugh. It was their private game, and had been so ever since they had first met—try to make each other laugh by complaining about their military way of life. Zechs used to keep her in fits of mirth by doing incredibly accurate impressions of their drill sergeants and teachers. He fought the urge to do it now, to hear her laugh.

An echoed scream reverberated through the hall, making Zechs feel very cold. He almost felt Noin shudder.

 " It's all right, Lu," he murmured, wishing he knew where she was. " I promise, everything will be all right…"

 He never heard her reply. He never saw what hit him on the head, and didn't know he had passed out. Zechs didn't hear Noin's scream as the lights suddenly came on and she saw him lying as though dead; he was already suffocating within the throngs of his nightmare.

 The sound of a scream snapped Relena from her fevered sleep. Her bloodshot eyes opened and she realized too slowly that the scream came from her; she closed her mouth, shutting away the sound but not the echoes that it had produced. She didn't bother trying to sit up, because she knew her battered body couldn't handle it—instead she lay, still shaking from her nightmares, and tried to keep from crying—it was too tiring for her dying body. 

 " Relena," she heard Heero whisper her name and looked up, hope shining in her fevered eyes. When she saw what stood in front of her she felt like screaming again, this time from joy.

 Heero stood there, his eyes blazing with love and accomplishment. He tossed his gun aside and moved closer to her bed.

 " Heero…" Relena whispered, reaching for him, wanting to touch him, to be in his arms again. However, when she grabbed for his arm, Heero disappeared.

 Relena blinked and lay back, knowing that she was hallucinating but wanting to believe it, wanting to trust that Heero had come to rescue her. Looking down at her savagely injured body, Relena felt tears slide down her cheeks.

 " I'm going to die…"

 " Hilde? Hilde? Come on, babe, this is no time for jokes! Where are you?"

 Hilde rolled her eyes and grabbed Duo's arm. He yelped in surprise; she had better night vision than him, and he'd lost sight of her in the hall.

 " I'm right here, dummy. We've got to stick together! Don't let go of my arm, and when whatever you're afraid of comes up we'll go through it together."

 Duo's grin flashed in the shadows.

 " You know, babe, we haven't been alone for a while…wanna have a little fun?"

 Hilde groaned and hit him rather hard upside the head.

 " You idiot!" she giggled despite herself as he scowled and rubbed his head. " You absolute baka, thinking of romance at a time like this! And making me resort to talking in Japanese!" her arm slipped free of his, but Hilde kept on walking. " Come on, silly, and stop making jokes. This is serious."

 " One kiss?" he was pleading jokingly.

 " Later, when we get out of here. Not now, Duo. You should know that!"

 He chuckled.

 " I'm just joking, Hilde. I may be dumb, but not that dumb."

 Hilde grinned.

 " Good, now let's go."

 Suddenly, a gunshot echoed through the hall and Hilde dropped to the floor and rolled, praying that Duo hadn't turned on her again. She whipped out her own gun and peered through the darkness behind her, tensed and ready to fire. What she saw made her shake.

 Duo knelt by a dead body, quivering with grief. Tears flowed, unbidden, down his cheeks. He was murmuring a name under his breath as he stroked the person's face:

 " Hilde…Hilde…oh god, please don't be dead! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…Hilde…"

 Her name.

Hilde frowned and gave her arm a strong pinch: she winced when it hurt and made the conclusion that she wasn't dreaming nor was she dead. She looked to the body—her body—and saw a gunshot wound in its chest. Duo had shot it—or her—thinking it was a White Fang soldier.

 _Poor guy…I never knew he was scared of killing me. I guess we have more in common than we thought…_

 Hilde crept forward and gently placed her hand on the grieving Duo's shoulder, causing him to turn. He froze.

 " Hilde?"

 She grinned and pointed silently to the dead body before him: it was fading, as had the image that had plagued her. The two watched the copy disappear slowly, leaving only a small computer chip. Duo turned back to Hilde. He was still white from shock, and he stared at her as if she wasn't real. He opened his mouth to speak.

 " You alive?" he croaked. She nodded, a grin spreading over her face.

 " Yeah…you?"

 He didn't answer her but rather pulled her into a strong kiss, holding her tightly as if to make sure she was real. They separated as Hilde's watch began beeping, signalling that their hour was up.

 " Come on, babe. We've gotta get back to the others."

 Hilde looked doubtfully down the hall.

 " Duo…I think we might have lead, though. There were only four halls, and four groups of us, and we haven't heard the alarm signal. This may be the hall where Relena is."

 Duo tugged at her arm.

 " Come on, Hilde! We've got to go!"

 Hilde twisted her arm out of his grasp.

 " I'm going down the hall," she said firmly. " Go back to the others, and tell them that I'm fine. I'm going to find Relena."

 Noin gasped, feeling the colour drain from her face as she fell to her knees beside Zechs.

 " Oh god, please don't let him be dead," she whispered as she watched red slowly colour the platinum blonde of her fiancé's hair. His eyes were half open, but the stare was vacant and frozen.

 Noin stroked Zechs' face gently, feeling tears run down her face. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she realized that Zechs wasn't breathing. He had no pulse; his skin was pale and blood continued to puddle on the floor beside his wound. He was dead.

 Lucrezia let out a low, keening sob and knelt over his body, willing him to wake up and hold her, wanting to have the man she loved hold her and tell her everything was all right. He had to wake up: she couldn't handle him being dead.

 However, it seemed that Zechs Marquise would never wake again.

 Noin sobbed quietly, watching her tears drip onto his shirt slowly, one by one, little circles of water mixed with sorrow. Consumed by grief, she lay down beside Zechs, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. Let the white fang rebels find her: she really didn't care if she lived or died anymore.

 _I want to be where he is… _she wished, completely forgetting the age-old phrase that had proven itself to be true so many times:

 Be careful what you wish for.

 When Noin next opened her eyes, she found herself standing on the roof of a building. The scene she saw before her was green-tinged, almost like an old movie shown on a colour TV. Lucrezia looked around, wondering why she was there and if she had indeed died. Then, when she heard the gasp, she turned around and blinked in surprise at what she saw.

 Zechs stood precariously balanced on the edge of the building, his whole body rigid with fear. When he wavered forward every so often his eyes would fly open as he fought to balance himself again, and then he would return to his former, tensed state. He was fighting the urge to cry out, but not very well—he was truly terrified.

 Noin crept slowly to the edge of the roof and saw that the ground was, at the very least, thirty-five stories below them. She had to grin: she loved heights for the adrenaline rush that it gave her, and as a trainee had often pushed herself to the very limit to gain the sensation. Just seeing the ground below made her dizzy with breathless delight.

 " Zechs," she whispered, taking his hand so that he was steady. His eyes flew open.

 " What are you doing here?" he croaked. " Why?"

 Noin smiled.

 " You're afraid of heights," she murmured, squeezing his hand. He barely nodded.

 " I was—kidnapped—when I was five. They…held me over the edge of a skyscraper and…threatened to—drop me if my dad didn't pay the ransom," his voice was strained and tense, and his hand was crushing hers. " Why do you think I had the heart attack the first time I piloted Tallgeese?"

 Noin looked puzzled.

 " But—the training, and the ranks, and the fact that you beat me at everything, that was all based on your skill as a pilot, and you did better than me every time. How?"

 Zechs forced a smile, visibly clenching his teeth.

 " I close my eyes. It helps a bit."

 Noin grinned and looked down to the ground again. She tugged at Zechs' hand.

 " Come on, love. We're going to jump."

 The effect that this simple sentence had on the poor man was outstanding. Even in his terrified state, he snapped.

 " Are you insane?" he yelled at her, to which Noin shook her head.

 " No, Zechs. We've got to jump."

 He shook his head so hard Noin was sure that he broke something in his neck.

 " No way. We'll die, Noin! We'll die…" he didn't bother to finish his sentence, leaving Noin to figure out what he was going to say. She did it pretty accurately.

 " If we die, Zechs, we'll die together," she whispered, closing her eyes, trying to block out the returning memory of Zechs lying dead in her arms. She knew, if anything, that she'd never be able to live without him. " Besides, don't you want to know what it's like to fly?"

 Zechs looked at her incredulously.

 " I married an insane woman," he said, his eyes blank with disbelief. " Remind me to get one of those Vegas marriages when I get to heaven, god knows I could handle a prostitute after what you've done to me."

 Noin grinned, hoping he was joking, and decided not to postpone jumping any longer.

 " Zechs, I hope you forgive me," she whispered, bringing their entwined hands up to kiss his. Then, with a quick glance down, she fell, pulling Zechs with her.

 " Noin!"

 His scream was silenced by pure fear as they plummeted downwards. The ground grew closer and closer, almost rushing up to meet the two. Zechs closed his eyes as they neared the pavement, hoping that the end would be quick…

 But it never came.

 Zechs snapped awake with a jolt, gasping silently for air. He filled his lungs again and again as he felt adrenaline rushing through his body, making him cold. He felt his heartbeat increase from its already rapid state as he drew in breath after breath of cold air, and there was only one thought on his mind: he was magnificently alive.

 After a few moments of well-organized thoughts and a bit of meditation, Zechs sat up slowly. He turned his head to see Noin sitting beside him and watching him, grinning.

 " You still think I'm insane?" she asked, her voice low and teasingly sexy. Zechs chuckled softly, taking her chin in his fingers.

 " Yep."

 With that he pulled his fiancée's face towards his and kissed her, something he hadn't done seriously in a while. They'd been so busy struggling to stay alive each day, trying just to live from one moment to the next, that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to hold her, to feel the touch of her lips on his skin. Forgotten Noin's hair—Zechs scolded himself for this—the natural softness of it, the thick, true black hair he'd missed running his hands through. He and Noin had always joked about their hairstyles, how they were so ironically opposite.

 How could he have not remembered her taste, her silky skin? All of this splendour he had completely overlooked these past nine months—but how?

 Zechs pulled back from the kiss, releasing Lucrezia and allowing them both to breathe a bit. He kept the gentle hold on her face, stroking her cheek gently and still silently asking himself why he had ignored such a breathtaking mortal for nine full months.

 Noin grinned a bit breathlessly.

 " Still think you can handle anyone else, Zechs?"

 Zechs laughed huskily and kissed her again, a longer and more passionate kiss than before, one that sent waves of rapture up and down his spine.

 The sound of echoing footsteps caused the two to jump apart, scrambling to stand up properly. Zechs cocked the gun.

 " Come out of the shadows!" he barked as the footsteps stopped.

 Silence.

 " Come out, damn it, before I shoot you in the dark!" Zechs didn't quite yell, but his tone was frightening even to Noin, who knew it well. The footsteps began again, and gradually the shape of a human emerged from the shadows: a human with a long braid, whose hands were held up in surrender: Duo.

 " Calm down, guys, it's me. You're also going outside, I take it?" he asked casually. Noin saw Zechs twitch ever so slightly.

 _Getting trigger-happy again,_ she noted mentally. She smiled grimly.

 " Let's get out of this place," Noin said. Duo nodded in agreement.

 " We should meet up with everyone else outside; I have a bad feeling about this building."

 Zechs nodded.

 " As do we all."

 " Barton, Chang, get in here now!" Sally's yell over the P.A. system caused many Preventers to cover their ears from the noise, scowling. However, Trowa and Wufei arrived in the main computer room within minutes, panting from running too hard. Sally spun around in her computer chair, hope blazing in her eyes.

 " I've found them!" she said breathlessly.

 Wufei's eyes widened slightly and he punched a fist into the air.

 "Yes!" he whispered, not bothering to fight the grin that spread over his face. Trowa leaned over Sally's shoulder to see.

 " Where?"

 She grinned.

 " They've been hiding all this time where the Romafellar building used to be, sector T-0046. We can send a ship there right now."

 Trowa smiled as a tear crept down his left cheek.

 " Sally, I could kiss you," he said seriously. Sally laughed.

 " Yeah, right. Let me get a ship ready, you two; we're going to rescue them."

 Trowa and Wufei grinned at one another. Their friends were alive!

 Heero gritted his teeth and growled in frustration: his watch alarm had gone off quietly, signalling that his hour was up, but he knew Relena had to be somewhere in the building—he had retraced his steps and taken a corridor that ran along the length of the front wall of the building, where Duo and Hilde had gone. They'd be outside by now, but he could almost hear Relena's cries, even though silence choked the dark building. His soldier's sense had never failed him before, and Heero knew—he just knew—that this was the way to go. Besides, it was Duo who had gone down this way: nobody could trust him to actually look properly.

 Heero kept to the shadows and levelled his gun: he would find Relena, even if it killed him.

 Hilde fought the urge to scream in frustration: she had kicked open every door in the hall, and none of them held Relena. She was beginning to think that she had been wrong, that Relena was probably already dead. Their whole mission had failed, and the worst part of it was that everyone else was outside, ready to go home alive. It would have been better to die on this mission than to have to live knowing that their actions had not saved one of their own.

 Hilde sighed and shot the knob and lock off of one last door, nudging it open with a foot and flipping the light switch. What she saw made her drop the gun in shock.

 " Relena!"

 Relena lay strapped to a small, bloodstained mattress, wounded in many different places and breathing shallowly. Her eyes flickered open as Hilde rushed to her side, panicked.

 " Hi-Hilde?" Relena had the strength only to whisper hoarsely. " Hilde, is it you?"

 Hilde grinned and nodded, feeling tears track down her face. She began to search the straps the held Relena to the bed.

 " I'm going to get you out of here, Relena; don't worry about a thing. I'll get you out of this in no time."

 Then, Hilde heard the quiet chuckle that she would never forget. 

" I don't think you'll be going anywhere anytime soon, Miss Schbieker."

 She froze as the cold metal of a gun was pressed to her cheek and looked up to see the smirk of a man in White Fang uniform, a man that had a long, black scar running down the side of his face.

 Heero kicked the door open, expecting to find nothing as he had in the other rooms in the hall. However, his eyes widened at the scene before him.

 Relena's mangled body was on a small, stained cot, a sight that broke his heart. The rest made him cold: Hilde was kneeling on her knees beside the cot, frozen with fear because of a gun barrel that was pressed against her head by a man in White Fang uniform.

 Heero aimed his gun at the man.

 " Let them go!" he yelled at the man, who grinned insanely and shook his head. He then looked at Relena lovingly, as a father might look at his daughter.

 " We never did have you watch them die, did we, Princess? I never did explain that, with every breath you took, your friends were facing their worst fears? Those fears that could not kill them weakened them, you know: for instance, Hilde is afraid of Duo turning on her. She almost died, but she beat it, and now she is sacrificing herself for your freedom.

 " Never!" Hilde spat, and the man's finger crept closer to the trigger. He smiled when she shut, and then he continued.

 " You see, all of your friends outside are being ambushed by former White Fang soldiers. They are better equipped and much more likely to win, as your friends are weakened. But I'll make you a little deal, Princess," he said. " If every single one of your precious friends die, you'll live. Do we have a deal?"

 Tears ran down Relena's face and she shook her head wildly. The man shrugged.

 " Very well. You cannot win, my dear: even Heero, who has come to save you, is weakened. He is terrified of snakes, you know: he just cannot stand them. His encounter with one may have left him alive, but it has left him undermined. That is why he will die now."

 Faster than Heero could react, the man turned his gun towards him and, without even looking, fired.

A/N: No lie, no hologram, this time it's all real…I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in a long time, I would never consider giving this story up. Please review and look for the last part of the story soon!

 By the way, I need your opinion on if the very last part of this chapter was written well at all. I had quite a bit of trouble writing it, but if you like it I'd love to know. How was it? Bad? Good? I'll post on the double if you tell me! ^_^


	9. Part IX

Part IX

A/N: This is the final actual chapter of the story (and it's short as hell, too!). I want to stop here and thank all of my reviewers for their support. I have never had so many reviews on a story as I have with this one, and I can't thank you guys enough. I love you all *hugs*. Please don't flame!

Heero felt the bullet pierce his flesh and yelled out in pain, clutching his leg where the little piece of metal had entered his body. He felt warm blood flow freely between his fingers and knew that the bullet had pierced an artery. He didn't have much time before he collapsed from blood loss.

 Behind him he saw Hilde reach up behind her and begin to undo Relena's bindings, now that all the focus was on Heero. Relena, for her part, kept quiet, although Heero couldn't be sure if she was trying to help or was too weak to make a sound. Either way, the man with the scar didn't notice. Heero glared, searching for something to say. Then, for the first time in all his life, he said one word that he had never even considered to ask an enemy.

 " Why?" he said, taking a deep breath as he felt blood began to drip down his leg and puddle on the floor. " Why do all of this?"

 The man with the scar smiled.

 " Because you damned pilots made us suffer. You killed our leader, or so we thought. You know, we wouldn't have crashed the Libra had our needs been met, but you were just too damned stubborn," his smile changed to a wider grin. " Do you know what the mission to bomb earth was called? Do you? It was called Operation _Libra_. This," he gestured all around him. " This is our Libra, our beautiful, reconstructed Libra. Isn't it wonderful?"

 Heero spit at him in disgust.

 " You call this beautiful?" he almost laughed at the ridiculous idea. " This wreckage and death you've caused? You're all sickening."

 The man began to laugh. It was a sickening, high-pitched sound that chilled Heero's bones. Behind the man, Hilde got the final strap on Relena's bed free. She nodded to Heero again, who set his jaw grimly and levelled his gun. This was going to end now.

 " It may be sickening, Heero," the man said, " But it's earth. It is the beautiful jewel that was why the colonies were built, in order to preserve it. Now, it's ours, and all of the protectors and owners who aren't dead have fled to the colonies! An eternal winter, remember, Heero? That's what the Libra would have brought, and now that dream has been realized," Reaching into his pocket, the rebel pulled out a small object, concealing it in his hand. Heero didn't need to see what it was—he knew how people held a detonator.

 " You're planning to blow us up, aren't you?" Heero knew he needed to give Hilde time and space. He took a step back, and, sure enough, the man went forward. " This whole place is a bomb, isn't it?" Another step. Yes, the man was leaving Hilde—and Relena. Heero tried not to smile and continued his taunt. " So, why aren't you pressing that button, hmm? You know that you'll die too, so you're too scared. I should have known that White Fang rebels were cowards. You always have been," another agonizingly slow step. If only Hilde could just get Relena off of the bed and make a run for it…

 The man's face contorted into a snarl. Another step.

 " You're not going to do it," Heero taunted. " You're just trying to frighten us—well, it isn't going to work. You forget that I'm a soldier too, and Hilde has had training as well. We're not stupid. So, you sick bastard, press the button!"

 Heavy silence filled the space between the two men. Hilde helped Relena off of the cot and held her steady. Heero, by this time, had backed up to a wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cloudy window that was so choked with dust that it was impossible to see out of.

 _So, she was right here by the outside of the building all this time,_ he thought. _Damn._

 The man finally grinned madly, holding the detonator out in full view.

 " Burn in hell, Yuy," he whispered just before his thumb hit the button.

 " Quatre? Are you there?" Zechs' yell echoed through the empty streets and ruins. Quatre waved at him, rising from his sitting position on the ground in from of the Romafellar building. Dorothy rose also, staying behind him slightly, as if she was afraid of Zechs and Noin. Quatre wasn't quite sure if she was joking or serious, but he didn't really want to ask her. It felt good to be protecting someone again.

 Zechs and Noin reached the teens quickly, looking exhausted and worn out, but alive.

 " Any word from Duo and Hilde? Heero? Relena?" Lucretzia asked. Her response was a simple shaking of Quatre's head. " Oh, wonderful. We're down to four people now."

 " Hey!" Duo's voice carried over to their ears, and the four friends looked up to see the braided pilot sprinting towards them, looking tired and weary.

 " Duo! Where's everyone else?"

 Duo shook his head, resting his hands on his knees and breathing deep. He had run a long way.

 " I don't know. Hilde stayed in the building—I couldn't get her to come out with me, and Heero's gone, too. I don't know what happened to them."

 Zechs was determined. " We have to go back inside."

 The others looked reluctant, but agreed. However, as the five of them turned around, a shout that was articulated by a very familiar female voice caused them to stop.

 " Ahoy! Is there anyone alive down here?"

 Sally's voice.

 Noin yelled and waved at her friend, tears streaming from her eyes.

 " Sally! We're here! Hey!"

 And then the three Preventers were upon the group, embracing their friends gratefully. Even Wufei clapped Quatre and Duo on the back, and Trowa was grinning.

 " Come on, we have a ship waiting to take you to the Colonies! Where are Heero and Relena and Hilde?"

 Quatre shook his head.

 " We have to find them. They're in serious danger, and—"

 His sentence was cut off by a tremor in the ground that raged from inside the building, which exploded before their eyes before they could move.

 Heero saw everything happen before the blast of heat from the explosion caught him. He saw Hilde try to run for the window with Relena in her arms, felt his own finger pull the trigger on his gun, saw the rebel fall to the ground with a gunshot wound in his chest. It wasn't until Hilde was behind him that Heero's head snapped back with the sudden force of oncoming fire and heat. The explosion blasted the three of them back through the window, shattering it. They landed in the snow, and for a few seconds the shimmering shards of blood-soaked glass shone as they fell almost majestically to the ground, before the building behind them collapsed with a final blast.

 Quatre steadied himself on his feet and was the first to scramble over to where Heero, Relena and Hilde lay. He stopped ten feel short, eyes wide. He felt the others join him, watching their three friends lie in the snow. A single word escaped Quatre's lips, one that all around him heard.

 " No…"

 Heero forced himself to rise and crawl over to where Relena and Hilde lay. The fresh snow was slowly staining red from their collective wounds, and all among them the glass pieces glittered beautifully, although they were stained with blood. He was vaguely aware of his friends appearing as if out of nowhere, standing, shocked, at the bloody scene.

 Heero ran his fingers gently along Relena's wrist, checking for a pulse. There was none. Hilde opened her eyes for a few moments, wincing and trying to cover a serious burn that bisected her stomach. She appeared alive.

 Heero felt himself growing weaker, and his leg was pulsing painfully from the loss of blood. With his last remaining strength he took Relena into his arms, leaning down to whisper in her ear before blacking out eternally.

 " That's it," he murmured. " We did it, Relena. It's finally over. We won…"


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

 A/N: come now, you don't think I would really kill Heero and Relena off and end the story in death, did you? I'm really not that kind of author…but congrats to Iris Omega, who was the one who guessed (well, actually begged) that there would be an epilogue. Don't worry, Iris, I had this planned from the start!

 When he had first become a soldier, he had wished every single day for death to peacefully take him. During the war, the effect had been the same. Suicidal tendencies raged through his mind, and it was a struggle to stand up again after every fight, or simply just to keep on walking. Several times he had thought that it was finally over, but it wasn't. He had kept living.

 Now, he saw death. It loomed near him, almost but not quite within his reach—a concept that, for the moment, he didn't understand. He had been through so much, and he was so tired…why couldn't he just die, and be happy? Why did he have to keep plodding through life? Relena was dead—everyone else would die, sooner or later. Why did he have to wait?

_ Selfish,_ another side of him taunted. _Selfish, selfish boy!_

 No, he whimpered. I'm exhausted…

 _You're a selfish little boy, bad boy!_ It jabbed him again and again as he moaned from fatigue and grief.

 I just want to be at peace, he sighed in his mind. Let me be. I want to sleep…

 _All right, then. Sleep. Just make sure you wake up in the morning._

 He had no such intention, but already his mind was shutting down. He finally succumbed to a gentle, easy slumber.

 In the morning…I will be gone.

 Heero opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the darkness. He was lying in a bed, staring up at a plain ceiling. All around him were the soft sounds of a hospital, from the bleeping heart monitor at his side to the medical murmurs of nurses and doctors outside of his room. The window beside his bed was open slightly, and Heero could hear rain pounding outside, gentle on the leaves and trees but stinging on the tops of buildings and the umbrellas that swam before Heero's eyes in bright dots of colour. He took a deep breath in and allowed the scents of things around him to register in his nostrils, from the fresh scent of rain outside to the burning smell of sanitation materials. For those few moments, for those few breaths, he almost forgot why he was there—but not quite.

 After a few moments, Heero forced himself to rise. Pulling back the blanket, he saw that his leg was bandaged severely, as well as the fact that a large burn covered his arm, stretching from wrist to shoulder and even curling around his neck. Heero winced as he tried to move his arm and decided against it.

 _I am alive,_ he realized. _Why? Why has death eluded me again? I'm still so tired…_

 He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing slowly, a bit unsteady. The sudden change of gravity made his head spin for a few moments, but the sensation didn't last long. Slowly, Heero walked out of his room and into the bright hall; however, he was soon stopped by a strange voice.

 " Um—excuse me, but can I help you? This is a privatized ward, and you don't seem approved."

 Heero turned his head to see the speaker of the question, a young woman in a nurse's uniform who had large bags beneath her eyes and a nurse's ID card hanging from a chain around her neck. He blinked slowly.

 " I'm…I'm looking for someone."

 The woman folded her arms.

 " How did you get in here? You need to be approved at the desk, and you don't have the ID that says you are."

 Heero sighed. " Look, miss, I just woke up and I want to know—" he stopped at the look on her face. " What?"

 The nurse was pale. " You're…you're one of the kids who was rescued from earth two days ago," she whispered. After a moment she regained composure. " Sir, you need to go back to your room until the doctor can check on you."

 Heero shook his head and, with a lightning-quick move that he knew the nurse couldn't follow, gently wrapped one hand around her neck.

 " I want to know where Relena Peacecraft is," he said firmly, his fingers pressing steadily onto the pressure point on the nurse's throat. " And the other 'kids' who were rescued. Please."

 The nurse swallowed. " Miss Peacecraft is in room 18, floor 7," she said. " The others have all been released from treatment for exposure to radiation and minor wounds. They will be fine."

 Heero nodded and released her. As the nurse rubbed her neck painfully, Heero raced out of the ward and, as fast as his stiff legs could carry him, made his way to room 18.

 " Relena."

 Heero closed the door behind him and made his way through the sheer darkness to the bed on which the girl lay. She was still bleeding in some places and was connected to heart monitors and IV units. Even though she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, Heero knew she couldn't be—she hated hospitals. He sat beside her bed and took her hand, unsure of what to say. After a few minutes of simply watching her sleep, listening to her heart monitored by the beeps from the machines, Heero's mouth opened.

 " I'm sorry," he whispered the first words that came to his lips. " My god, Relena, I'm so sorry for doing this to you…I wish I could say something else, but…I'm sorry…"

 There was no response; Heero didn't expect any, and he continued speaking.

 " I should never have met you. I shouldn't have ever spoken to you at all. If we had just passed one another by on the day when we met two or three years ago, everything would be fine. I might not have known you, and I might not have regained my emotions through you, but…at least you would be okay…Relena, I've put you through far too much to bear. I don't deserve you at all," he whispered, stroking her hand. " But somehow…somehow you still found me, after all I had put you through, and you still loved me. And you taught me how to love you back."

 Relena sighed softly in her sleep, but didn't open her eyes. Heero felt a smile flicker at the corner of his mouth.

 " You're very pretty, Relena. I never tell you that. And even though I'm sometimes horrible, I…I really do wish that you didn't need to go through this. I'm sorry, my love; I'm sorry…"

Relena opened her eyes slightly.

 " Heero," her voice was barely a whisper. " I…I…"

 " What is it?" Heero asked.

 "…Going to be okay…I promise you," she struggled to speak, to smile; to put on a brave face. She carefully reached a weak hand up to touch his cheek gently. " You…you're wonderful to me. I'm lucky…and everything is going to be fine," her assuring words, even in her situation, brought Heero almost to tears—almost but not quite. Soldiers never cried.

 " I know it will. I love you, Relena," he said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. He felt her exhale, and caught her last words as she fell back into slumber.

 "…Love you too…"

 Without another word, Heero turned and exited the room. She deserved her rest; let her have it. He would see her tomorrow, when their new life would begin. He was sure of it.

 As he closed the door gently behind him, Heero heard a gasp and turned to see all of his friends—even Trowa, Sally and Wufei—sitting in the chairs on the wall opposite the door, waiting together.

 Funny, Heero thought. I didn't notice them when I came in. I was in too much of a hurry, I guess.

 They were silent for a few moments, staring at one another in silent reflection. Heero looked at each of his comrades in turn—the people who had annoyed, cajoled, ordered and even hated him during the war; brought together by a catastrophe. Heero looked first to Duo, who was meeting his gaze steadily.

 Duo—the one who always made him laugh inside, although Heero had never showed it. He didn't think he would ever get the chance to express amusement again, but now…now he might.

 Trowa—gentle, docile Trowa, the boy who could tame lions and had given Heero a secret a long time ago—the sound of his own laugh. Like Heero, Trowa didn't usually laugh—although he could have lightened up during the time they were separated, although Heero doubted it. Trowa was a true friend.

 Quatre sat, holding Dorothy's hand, smiling at Heero through silent tears. Quatre was the only one who had ever cried in front of the other Gundam pilots. He was so gentle, like Trowa, but was such a peaceful person too—he had welcomed all of the Gundam Pilots as friends, even though some had hated him at first. Quatre—strong in mind, body and spirit, a strength that was almost impossible to break by normal means.

 Then, Wufei—although Heero had always found him irritating during the AC 195 war, he now seemed to be just looking to do the right thing; always to justify his actions. Heero himself knew that unjust actions were useless—but whereas Wufei had always seemed sort of standoffish, now Heero saw a true and just friend.

 Zechs was like the older brother Heero had never known—strong, friendly, available to help him whenever he needed it; he watched over Heero liked he watched over his sister. Zechs was so protective of his friends, and so noble about it, that it hadn't occurred to Heero until now that Zechs was a true prince, even if he was forgotten.

 They were all interlaced by the bond of friendship, which would never break after all that they had been through. Heero knew in his heart that they were all there for him, and in turn he knew he would do the same in a second if it were needed. This is what had been in place all along; however, he had never seen it before.

Then, one by one, the other five Gundam Pilots slowly rose from their chairs. As they went to embrace him one by one, Heero knew what they were all thinking—he was thinking the same thing himself:

 We are not, and never will be, alone.

~*~*~*~

A/N: *stunned* that's it, folks. It's done. You've just witnessed the very first story I have ever actually finished. I'm sitting here, it's 11:29 pm, and I'm listening to the Endless Waltz movie theme, the same song I was listening to when I first began this story. It has been a simply incredible 42 pages, and I loved writing this story so much. I've never had more reviews and feedback from any other story before, and to all of my reviewers I extend my thanks—you guys were wonderful. I love you all. I do plan to write a sequel to this story, and as soon as it is begun it will go up. Thanks again!

Special thanks extended to Bishie Hunter Neko, Shadow Kitty, Digi Faery and Sun Dogg (you guys know who you are) for whacking me over the head when I didn't finish a sentence, bugging me when I hadn't updated in a long time and giving much-needed help because of writer's block. I love you guys like the sisters I never had. *sniffs* you guys were great!


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